Fires Lead To Smoke
by audhds
Summary: Merlin is a young homeless boy, being chased by a blonde handsome shop assistant for theft. However, a fire erupting in the local bakery leads to a series of life changing events. Are things looking up for Merlin? Let the Merthur romance commence! I do not own Merlin or the characters :S Although if owning Colin Morgan was on offer I would be the first in line :)
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Welcome to this strange realm of my mind :) This is my second fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it. I have used this rating for future gore and some romance.

Merlin ran as fast as he could, his lanky frame making it possible to weave in and out of the pedestrians who were mundanely walking by with their shopping, oblivious to the boy's plight, or occasionally shooting him dirty looks. However, the blonde, muscled shop assistant was not giving up just yet. "_Trust me to have to chase a wanna-be Olympic athlete,"_ he panted, breaths coming in short gasps and leg muscles screaming at him to stop, despite numerous hours spend on running machines and treadmills.

He felt slightly sorry for the boy, he was clearly homeless, his jacket was tatty and full of holes and all the kid wore underneath was a blue shirt and thin red scarf which looked to be hand-knitted. The boy must be freezing without proper layers, this particular winter had bought freezing cold winds from the Pacific and it was snowing lightly. Arthur was glad for his coat and thermal vest, the vest may not be manly but for once Arthur had decided to put aside his pride, in comfort's name.

Arthur glanced upwards after crashing into a young woman and saw that the young boy had turned into an alley, a dead ended valley. '_Maybe luck is on my side!_' With a smirk Arthur turned the corner into the alley and saw that the boy had sunk down into a large cardboard box and had pulled a threadbare blanket over his head in a feeble attempt to keep warm and hidden. Arthur who still hadn't managed to catch his breath walked up to the box with as much dignity as possible whilst gasping like a steam train and pulled back the blanket.

His brown eyes were met with a pair of icy blue eyes which seemed to stare straight into his soul. The boy was clearly shaking, petrified and Arthur bent down onto his haunches so that he would appear less intimidating. That was when the cat decided to pounce, its brown, black and ginger fur billowing around the skinny frame and claws scrabbling at Arthur's chest. Letting out a rather undignified shriek, Arthur picked up the cat and held it at arms length, gaining numerous scratches to his arms and hands in the process.

Restraining a sigh he said as calmly as possible, "if you hand over what you stole from the store I won't have to get the police involved, and I am sure you do not want to be arrested. And if you could keep your cat under control it would be much appreciated." The small boy shook his head sadly and picked up the writing cat, whom upon contact with the boy's long, skinny fingers immediately calmed and began to purr contentedly. Merlin placed the cat on his lap within the box and pulled the blanket around them and scratched her behind the ears. Arthur was not sure whether the boy was seeking or offering comfort. "It is ok, just give back what you stole and I will leave you in peace." Merlin sighed deeply and pulled the orange bag from the box. Arthur stared at it for a moment, "Iams?" Merlin nodded and felt tears well up in his eyes. "Please let me keep them! You have to understand. If Freya doesn't eat soon I will have to give her away." '_So the cat is called Freya, what a weird choice, I was expecting Fluffy or Mittens._' Arthur contemplated the cat's name for a while until the boy began to sob hopelessly, drawing his attention back to reality. The boy had drawn the cat up to his chest and buried his face in her fur until the sobbing subsided. "I. Can't. Give. Her. Away." Merlin began to beg, hiccupping as more tears leaked from his eyes. "She is all I have, I can't loose her!"

Arthur looked at the helpless boy and felt guilt pressing down in his heart making him feel as if he had just been hit by a truck. He nodded slowly, '_the boy is clearly half starved and yet he only cares about his cat. He could have stolen human food or a mobile phone for money but instead chose to help the poor creature._'

Arthur had flashbacks of his own upbringing, his father was CEO of a major bank and his mother had been an actress before she died. Arthur had never wanted for anything and had always been spoilt and selfish due to his parent's wealth. He had been bought every new game device including a Wii, Xbox and Nintendo 3DS. Arthur had never missed a meal and lived an incredibly sheltered life, being educated in a private school.

Arthur looked at the boy, who had clearly never experienced any of the above luxuries and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Hush now, it's ok. You can keep the cat food, I will pay for it." Merlin's eyes widened at this act of kindness and he buried his head in Arthur's shoulder, bursting into tears again. Arthur patted the boy's back awkwardly, noticing how he could feel Merlin's spine and said "Come on, lets get you something to eat." His sister Morgana's bakery was just around the corner and he would buy the skinny boy some lunch. She lived in the apartment above with her husband Mordred and two children Gwen and George. Feeding the boy was the least he could do. Besides, the cakes were amazing and there was a slice of his favorite chocolate gateau with his name on it.

Merlin smiled, he felt as though life was finally looking up. He scooped up some Iams in his hand and Freya ate them immediately. He then placed them in his rucksack along with the blanket which he neatly folded and then stood up, cradling Freya in his arms protectively. Arthur was not sure whether Morgana would allow the cat in her bakery but as it was him she may allow it just this once. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and steered him down the streets, noticing the howling of a fire engine in the distance. "I don't even know your name, I'm Arthur." "Merlin, and I already know your name." Arthur shot Merlin a puzzled glance, how did the boy, Merlin, know his name? Merlin laughed for the first time in months when he saw Arthur frown in confusion at his previous statement. "It says on your badge you clotpole!" As they continued walking in silence, neither having anything else to say and gaining several weird looks due to Freya, the sirens became louder. As they turned the corner Arthur felt his life shatter into a million pieces.

The bakery was on fire!

So guys, cliff-hanger ;) Will Merlin come to the rescue? Will Morgana be ok? Will someone be hurt? Now that would be telling!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise there is a lot more bromance, angst, hurt and perhaps even romance to come. Ok, definitely romance, everyone loves a bit of Merther! :) I will upload the next chapter in a couple of days. Please favorite / follow / review. It will make me incredibly happy. Also, I would love it if you could check out my other story, A Mistake Too Far, based on Harry Potter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

So, thanks for the reviews and follows. You made my day! Especially krazeevilturtle who gave me my first ever review. In answer to your question I think Merlin is around 18 I this fic and Arthur is 20, I wanted Merlin to be younger and more vulnerable. Also, thank you very much Thompson, Felicity P and Guest, I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! So on with the story, time for a bit of Merlin whumping….

Arthur's world was crashing down around him. Infinite numbers of questions formed in his mind. Is Morgana ok? What about the children? What will I do if they die? Arthur was numb. He had to do something, anything.

Without a further thought he sprinted forward, away from Merlin towards the bakery, determined to rescue his sister, niece and nephew. He reached the pavement outside the building within a matter of seconds and was about to run in when three pairs of hands grabbed him around the waist and shoulders. "Don't be stupid, going in there is suicide!" Arthur struggled with all his might, sobbing and screaming his sister's name. She could not die, she was his best friend as well as sister and his father Uther would be crushed. "Let me go. LET ME GO. **LET ME GO!**"The passers by ignored him, pulling him away from danger and desperately trying to calm Arthur down, stating that the firemen would do their best.

The firemen had pulled out the hoses and were desperately battling the raging flames but to no avail. They had gripped the building, the windows had shattered and the ceiling was begging to collapse. "YOU HAVE TO HELP THEM!" The firemen exchanged sad looks and shook their heads. "It is too dangerous to go in there son, we are sorry." Arthur gave up struggling and collapsed to the floor sobbing, "There. Are. Children. In. There. You. Can't. Let. Them. Die."

Merlin watched the scene unfold in front of him and knew immediately what he had to do. He ran forward, unceremoniously dumped Freya into Arthur's arms and sprinted towards the bakery. He intercepted all the attempts to grab him and dove past the firemen. Arthur had shown him a rare act of kindness and he would return the favour. He had nothing left to live for apart from Freya, and she would be better off without him in a warm house with food and a bed to sleep on at night. Maybe she could find a new family with children or other cats to play with. She deserved a better life than what he could offer.

With those thoughts in his head, Merlin jumped through the now empty window frame and sprinted towards the stairs, of which he could only see the outline. The room was full of smoke making it almost impossible to see and flames were licking at his arms. Merlin stumbled on every other step but refused to stop, he had come this far and this was the only opportunity Merlin had to ensure his life was not a complete waste of time. The flames had burnt more holes in his jacked and his trousers had set alight at the hems. Pain was searing through him and Merlin was dizzy from inhaling smoke, choking. He continued until he reached the top of the stairs and called out hoarsely. "Hello? Morgana are you there?"

Merlin's eyes were burning from the ash and he wiped them in an attempt to make his vision clearer, ears straining for a shout. He was about to give up when he heard a woman's voice, shrill with terror and panic, "HELP. PLEASE WE ARE IN HERE. PLEASE SAVE MY CHILDREN." Merlin ran blindly towards the voice and opened the door which the family were trapped behind. Merlin saw that the roof had collapsed although there were fewer flames in this room. He lunged forward and took the small child who was passed over to him, a young girl who was crying in fright and coughing up soot. She wrapped her arms around his neck and when Merlin had a good hold on her he grabbed the young boy who Morgana was pushing over the rubble. He then looked at the woman and began to extend his free hand towards her. "No, just take the children. I think my ankle is broken and I will only slow you down." Merlin knew he had no other choice, if the children were to survive he had to get them out, and quickly. He turned and hobbled away as fast as possible, calling that he would come back for the woman.

The searing pain in Merlin's ankles, arms and legs was unbearable and his head and vision were spinning out of control. The flames had taken a firmer hold despite the firemen's efforts and flames now licked further up his legs and his torso. He saw light shining in from the window pane and rushed forward with the children, protecting them as much as possible with his own arms and turning his body so his back took the flames instead of the children. Despite these efforts George had passed out from inhaling too much smoke and Gwen's grip around Merlin's skinny frame was faltering. Although young, (the children could be older than 5 and 7) Merlin was weak from a lack of food and his skinny arms were trembling with the strain of being burnt and having to carry the load.

After what seemed like years he jumped through the window and handed the children to the paramedics who had arrived 3 minutes previously. Merlin gasped in the open air, relishing in the supply of oxygen and felt like collapsing when he remembered Morgana. He couldn't leave her there to die, he wouldn't. Merlin turned, escaped the grip of a paramedic who unbeknownst to him had grabbed his arm and leapt back through the window.

Flames roared menacingly around him like an enraged lioness and snaked forward, lashing his arms legs and his blood soaked chest. The flames were much taller now and Merlin screamed in agony as he felt his chest being torn apart by the talons of fire. Merlin could no longer see a thing, eyes stinging and flesh burning. He remembered the rough location of the stairs and stumbled forwards, tearing up them and running along the landing towards Arthur's sister. He had to make it. His legs gave way and Merlin crumpled to the ground feeling his leg snap beneath him, Merlin roared. His whole world was pain. Merlin felt darkness crash over him and stared around blindly, confused and anguished. '_I WILL NOT DIE HERE.'_

Merlin stood up again, his leg protesting as he placed some weight on it. He repeated his mantra in his head and limped into the room where Morgana had fallen unconscious. Merlin scrambled across the rubble, wrapped both his arms under Morgana's arms and lifted her up and over his shoulder. She weighed much more than the children, but Merlin would not give up without trying. He managed to hobble halfway down the stairs before his leg, clearly broken, gave way and he lost his grip on the woman. Merlin wanted nothing more than for the pain to stop. All he could smell was burning flesh, his burning flesh. Once again he grabbed Morgana and dragged her down the stairs, until he reached a gap; some of the stairs had fallen away. Merlin had no choice but to throw Morgana forward, she would be burnt in the process but at least she would be alive.

Merlin scooped her up and pushed the woman as hard as he could, which luckily was hard enough. He then leapt over the gap himself and swore as his broken leg crumpled beneath him. He had to get out and fast.

Time seemed to move without Merlin and he found himself by the window pushing Morgana out, unable to remember how he had managed to reach the exit. Terror and pain clearly increased a person's survival instinct and stamina. Once Morgana was out of the window, being grabbed by firemen Merlin gave a faint smile, his life may be over but at least he had done something useful with it. He could vaguely hear indistinct voices calling for him to climb through the window and move a bit closer but the last of Merlin's strength had left him and pain took hold of his body. The boy let out one last, terrible scream of agony before his world spun violently and his head hit the floor. The last thing Merlin saw was flames and Arthur's blurry, concerned face and arms reaching in towards him.

I know I am evil leaving Merlin like that and with a cliff-hanger! I love you really Merlin 3 I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews, follows or favourites would be appreciated … HINT ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again, welcome back! This chapter contains some Merlin whump and confusion. Just a note to say, Guest, you are completely right and I have taken on your suggestion about Merlin's leg and addressed it in paragraph 10 of this chapter as fanfiction wouldn't let me alter the last chapter for some reason. Furthermore, don't hold your breath too long; I do not want an unconscious person on my hands ;). Also, thank you so much for all the other reviews everyone!

**Chapter 3**

Merlin stirred and groaned groggily. His chest and legs hurt, although the pain was not overwhelming, so he decided to try and his head slightly. This was a task made impossible by his head's weight, '_surely my head didn't always weigh this much_.' Merlin was extremely confused and felt sick from his attempt to raise his head, dizziness rushed over him and Merlin promptly threw up over himself and passed out.

The next time Merlin awoke he could hear a faint, regular beeping noise and furrowed his brow in confusion. He could see light passing through his eyelids but decided against sitting up after last time. Instead, Merlin attempted to open his eyes, although they felt as if they had been stuck together with superglue. Merlin let out a rasping groan, his throat was incredibly dry and he was desperate for water. Merlin then began to violently cough and struggled to breath, panic settled in and he desperately tried to regain his senses. He had no idea where he was or how he had got there, uncertain why he could not move and as to why his body was protesting with pain. He felt incredibly frightened and alone, tears beginning to flow down his angular cheeks, creating a wet trail along his prominent cheekbones. That was when he heard an unfamiliar, female voice, "Merlin, hello? Are you awake?" Merlin let out a grunt in answer and managed to rasp out something which sounded vaguely similar to "water."

He then heard shuffling footsteps and wanted to beg the woman not to leave him on his own. He had come to the conclusion that he was not dead, as surely when dead your soul would not continue to suffer. Furthermore, all his senses seemed to be working, he could feel a soft pillow beneath his head and a thick blanket draped over him. Then again, maybe he was dead as he had never been this comfortable in life, constantly sleeping on the floor or in cardboard boxes. Merlin pinched himself with as much force as he could muster (which was not much) and decided he was not dead. '_Nope, I am not dead. I refuse to die. I am too stubborn for that_.' Merlin frowned again and decided to do something useful rather than muse over life and death. He remembered living on the streets and his cat Freya but had no idea as to how or why he had got here … '_FREYA!' _Merlin felt dread rush through his body._ 'Is Freya ok? Where is she?' _

All of a sudden the boy felt another wave of nausea crash over him and he vomited again, although this time a bucket had been placed in front of him and someone with soft hands was rubbing his back in circular, calming motions, the nurse had returned. Merlin winced but sank into the nurse's hand, it felt nice to be comforted and his back was incredibly stiff and sore and the rubbing seemed to be helping.

The nurse softly whispered words of comfort as the boy emptied more bile and stomach acid into the bucket. The content of his stomach was pitiful and had been lost in the last bout of sickness; the woman wondered when the last time was that the young boy had eaten a proper meal. Once the boy had stopped dry-retching she handed him a tissue and turned away, allowing him to wipe his mouth and eyes as well as letting him keep some of his dignity. She was sure that he would not want her to acknowledge his tears of pain. Eventually the boy calmed down and she held a glass of water with a straw to his lips. Merlin sucked gratefully, the cool liquid running down his throat like honey and chasing away the burning sensation in his throat …_ '__**burning!**__' "_Fire_" _Merlin croaked the word as realisation dawned on him; he snapped his eyes open for the first time since the event. He looked around and saw a white room with white lights. He stared down at his leg which was heavily bandaged in a cast and had been suspended on a pulley device. His chest, arms and other leg were also covered in thinner bandages and Merlin could smell antiseptic. That's when Merlin realised that there were monitors, machines and drips linking up to wires in his arms. He was in hospital. Merlin struggled feebly, the image of the cables in his flesh making him feel sick as he tried to pull them out.

"Don't do that sweetie, you need to keep them in, they are making you feel better." Merlin shook his head. They didn't understand, the needles were not making him feel better, but were serving to remind him of men leering over him in an alley pressuring him to try drugs and then beating him to within an inch of his life when he refused. Merlin began to cry, deep, heart wrenching sobs and the nurse, concerned called for backup on her radio.

A few minutes later an old man arrived in a blue surgeons robe. He had long, white flyaway hair and had the air of a man of great importance and knowledge about him. Merlin looked up from his chest and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Hello my boy, my name is Gaius, I was the surgeon who patched you up the other day," the man spoke with a kind voice, which although slightly rough invoked trust and inspired confidence. Merlin, uncertain what to say decided on nodding and they sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes.

"How are you feeling?" Gaius seemed to be alarmed by Merlin's lack of response and conversation and moved over to the bedside, placing two fingers on Merlin's neck, checking for a pulse. Merlin's reaction was immediate and disturbing. He launched himself backwards away from the sudden movement in panic. Deep down he knew that the man posed no harm but as a general rule males had never treated him well, look at his father. Come to think of it, Merlin did not enjoy being touched at all and found himself wondering why he had been so compliant with the nurse earlier.

Merlin's ice blue eyes were full of terror as he looked up at the surgeon, who raised his hands in surrender. "I am not going to hurt you, I promise." Merlin nodded slowly, concentrating on returning his breathing back to normal and easing his tender body back into the pillows. He was uncertain how he had managed to shift so quickly and regretted the movement, which had jarred his wounds causing the throbbing to intensify. He then asked the question that had been burning inside of him, his words coming out in a rush due to his fear and stress, "Ismycatok?" Gaius gave the boy a kind smile and informed him that Freya had been taken in by the RSPCA where she would be cared for until Merlin was well again. Merlin, seemingly satisfied by the idea that his cat was in good hands being well fed smiled weakly, sank back into the bedding and closed his eyes.

Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he sat up bolt upright. '_How have I been so stupid? I never asked whether the others were ok. I need to know whether the children survived.'_ Merlin looked over towards Gaius and in a tone full of dread asked, "were the other fire victims alright?" Gaius appeared to be confused and then gasped as realisation hit him '_nobody told the boy what happened!_' Gaius sat on the edge of Merlin's bed and gave his hand a squeeze. "Don't worry son. You did an amazing job; the fire-fighters were calling you a hero and have nominated you for an award! Both the children are fine, little George has had a couple of asthma attacks since, but nothing too serious and Gwen is fine apart from a few small burns on her arms. Morgana was the worst off with a sprained ankle and some more severe burns on her legs, but nothing on you. It looks like you fractured your leg at one point and then when you collapsed the already weakened bone snapped, also, there are second degree burns all over your chest, arms and legs which is why you currently resemble a mummy." Gaius looked like he was about to delve into a deep conversation about the preservation of Egyptian bodies but the nurse shot him a warning look. If the fire didn't finish the boy off, one of Gaius' long conversations would.

Merlin took a while to digest this information and felt relief sweep over him. '_They are alright. I saved someone's life. I am no longer a waste of space._' With that thought Merlin closed his eyes and fell fast asleep, not noticing when Gaius tucked him in under the blanked and ruffed his hair affectionately.

Sorry there was no Arthur or Morgana in this chapter but I wanted to make the fic slightly more realistic, as when a patient is severely injured they are not allowed visitors at first. Also I wanted to convey Merlin's confusion and loneliness. Anyways, I promise that the bromance will commence next chapter so read on my fellow Merlin lovers!

Once again please review / follow / favourite! The next chapter will be uploaded on Sunday because I am away for Friday and Saturday xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for your comments messie23, nanesantos (thanks for the info, I was just working from general knowledge and have no medical knowledge what so ever, as you can probably tell!) Also, thank you Nance and Guest (Don't worry I will carry on, the days away felt like agony, I kept getting new ideas and having to note them down on my phone memos because I didn't have my notebook)! So here is the next chapter … enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

_Merlin was sitting at a long wooden table within a large banquet hall. The entire table was full of delicacies and Merlin was surrounded by knights in red cloaks and sitting next to the Prince. Merlin was allowed to eat whatever he wanted. Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, stews, soup, bread, apple sauce … Ketchup?_ Merlin awoke with a start and sighed, definitely a dream, he was pretty sure that medieval England did not have the delights of Heinz tomato sauce! It had been such a pleasant dream though, free from his father's abuse and his mother's despair. Merlin blinked the sleep from his eyes regretfully, there was a gnawing sensation in his stomach and although the morphine was making him slightly woozy Merlin was starving.

He sat up a little and looked around. The room seemed far less threatening now and Merlin relaxed, once again appreciating the warm bedding surrounding him and the roof above his head. With a shaking hand he picked up the cup of water on his bedside and drank from the straw, spilling a little when his hand trembled violently. He then wiped the water from his chin and waited, twiddling his long, skinny fingers and thinking about the Prince in his dream, whose face seemed to be extremely familiar. '_Arthur_' Merlin gave a small laugh; his subconscious mind had turned the kind shop assistant into a Prince. '_My knight in shining armour!_' Merlin mused over this and found himself picturing the handsome blonde man, who was probably 3 years older than him. He had piercing eyes and beautiful blonde locks which seemed to frame his face perfectly. Merlin mentally shook himself, '_this is ridiculous, just because someone offered to buy you lunch and some Iams doesn't mean he likes you. He was probably just feeling sorry for me.'_

Merlin was jerked from his reverie when the nurse came into the room. "Ah, you are awake, how are you feeling?" Merlin gave a weak smile and informed the nurse that he was a lot better. "Would you like some breakfast?" Merlin broke into a grin and nodded enthusiastically, leading to another bout of dizziness. '_I really need to stop doing that to myself!_' The nurse laughed seeing Merlin's expression and asked whether he would like porridge, toast, cereal or a bit of each. Merlin opted for porridge and toast, both with honey. He had an extremely sweet tooth and never had the chance to indulge. The nurse smiled and walked away, returning 10 minutes later with a large bowl of porridge oats and 2 slices of toast, smothered in honey. The kitchen staff had seemed a bit affronted when she requested extra honey but when she explained the circumstances they nodded their approval. "We need to feed you up a bit," she exclaimed kindly and passed Merlin the spoon. "There are a couple of visitors outside who would like to see you, if you feel up to it." Merlin looked perplexed, '_who on earth would want to see me?_' He gave another, less vigorous nod and the nurse left the room to be immediately replaced by Arthur and Morgana, the latter was on crutches but beaming widely.

Morgana made her way over incredibly quickly considering her ankle and threw her arms around Merlin's neck, beginning to sob, '_how can girls hop between emotions so quickly? She was smiling a moment ago.'_ Merlin was too startled to move and didn't have the heart to push the woman away, although he was not particularly enjoying the human contact. Once Morgana had stopped crying Merlin carefully eased himself out of her grip and Arthur gave him an awkward smile, silently apologising for his sister's enthusiasm. "You saved my children! You saved me. How can I ever thank you?" Morgana began to tear up again and Arthur patted her uncertainly on the shoulder, he had never been one for emotions and was useless when it came to people crying.

Merlin pulled away once more when she reached for him and mumbled "Um, that's ok, urr, I don't need thanking." "Don't be silly!" Arthur realised that this was one area in which he could help and he perched awkwardly on the edge of Merlin's bed being careful not to knock his leg whilst Morgana settled herself into the visitors' chair. "We have to do something to help you, you saved my family and well, yeah, just name what you want and I will get it for you." Merlin looked into Arthur's eyes and realised that this was a genuine offer, he looked down awkwardly and said, "I don't suppose you could buy me a new coat? Not an expensive one or anything, it's just that my last one got badly burnt and was the only coat I had." Arthur stared at the boy sadly, "Of course I will buy you a new coat, hell, I will buy you two, but I was thinking of something a bit more substantial, you are a hero after all." Merlin, now feeling extremely embarrassed explained that he wanted nothing else, except maybe some more cat food, although Arthur was not accepting this as a suitable reward.

"Fine, if you won't ask for anything, then I will invite you to stay round my house, at least until you are better and have recovered from your injuries." Merlin was too stunned by the offer and Arthur took his lack of immediate response as acceptance. "Good, that settles it; I will ask the nurse when you are being discharged and will pick you up." '_Prat, I never answered. He has no idea who I am; I have no idea of who he is really. I won't be able to pay for anything and his hospitality is too much to ask for. What if I get my hopes up and then he decides he doesn't want me and sends me away?_' Merlin decided against saying anything and began to eat his porridge hastily, although he spilt a spoonful down his front due to his hands. He had no idea why they were shaking so badly and his cheeks flushed with shame. He had just acted like a complete baby in front of Arthur, handsome, strong, manly Arthur. Arthur saw Merlin's predicament and before the younger boy could protest he was mopping his chin with a handkerchief. He then looked uncertain but determined, grabbed the spoon in his own hand and began to feed Merlin. Merlin was tempted to grab the porridge and poor it over the clotpole, he was quite capable to feed himself, but another tremor made him dismiss that option. With a slight glare he opened his mouth and accepted the porridge. It tasted amazing and Merlin soon forgot about his dignity and eagerly awaited every mouthful. He also found himself resting his head uncertainly on Arthur's chest; there was something about Arthur that prevented him shying away from the man. However, he did not want his feelings to be hurt and Merlin found himself wondering how to turn down the offer without seeming rude.

Morgana smiled to herself, it was clear that Merlin was slightly uncomfortable with the offer, but decided this was due to him being so used to living on the streets. He definitely needed somewhere warm to stay and Arthur seemed to be a willing host. Her brother was clearly smitten with the boy, never before had she seen him blush so much and he seemed to stumble on his words slightly as if flustered. She had also never seen him care for someone like this. If someone had told her 3 days ago that Arthur would spoon-feed a homeless boy porridge she would have burst out laughing and told them to stay off the booze. "So, that's sorted, you will stay with Arthur for a while," she stated in order to break the awkward silence, intercept any refusals from Merlin and to stop Arthur from embarrassing himself further, "why don't you tell us a bit about yourself Merlin?"

So, that is it for today! I am back to school tomorrow (Monday) but I have two free periods and will probably end up writing another chapter of this rather than working so should upload the next chapter tomorrow evening (fanfic is blocked at school :( ). See you then :) Pretty please review / follow / favourite! All your positive comments are really inspiring me and making me a happier person.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again, here is the next chapter, it is a bit longer than normal, I got a bit carried away :S Thank you Greyember13, Nance, Skywright and Nanesantos70 :D ! Anyway here you go…

**Chapter 5**

Merlin was uncertain where to start; he did not particularly want to spill the grizzly details of his past to Morgana and Arthur and wondered how much he could conceal without lying. Merlin had never been any good at lying and knew they would see right through him. Morgana regretted her question, seeing that she had been insensitive, '_fancy asking a homeless boy about himself, of course there are things he does not want to tell._' "Sorry, I shouldn't have been so nosy." Merlin realised that his face must have reflected his inner turmoil and that he had made Morgana uncomfortable in the process.

"No, it's alright, don't worry. Um, well I am 18 years old, I have a cat called Freya, but you probably already know that, she is my best friend, I know that's weird but I've never really been good with humans." Merlin smiled goofily, shrugging as if to apologise for his gawkiness, and continued, "I am from a small village called Ealdor and I was raised by my Mum until I was 9. She taught me everything I know and was an amazing woman." Merlin stopped talking for a moment as his voice broke and he turned away to wipe the corners of his eyes and hoped that the others would not notice, or at least not comment.

Arthur and Morgana exchanged worried looks and Arthur gave a slight shake of his head. He realised that Merlin's pride had already been knocked by his previous tears and that he was trying to regain some dignity, not that there is anything wrong with crying but Arthur was not a stranger to male pride! Merlin began to continue, glad that the others had remained silent, "then my dad raised me until I was 15 and I left home a week after my 15th birthday. When I left home I took the bus and walked to London, and here I am. I guess I was hoping to find a home, a job and someone who wanted me but that never happened." Merlin broke of and Morgana took his hand gently, being careful of the inserted cannula, "we want you Merlin, you are an amazing person, you saved my life and my children's, you are kind, selfless and deserve so much more in life. If we didn't want or like you we would have left by now and Arthur would not have invited you into his home." She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "in fact I have never seen him get on with someone so well, he's normally a right grumpy idiot." Arthur shot her a mock-offended look and hit her round the head with a hospital leaflet about chickenpox, which he had been reading when Merlin was asleep.

Merlin gave a small laugh, which then turned into a groan of pain, and focussed on breathing in Arthur's scent and listening to his steady, regular heartbeat. Morgana thought it was clear that Merlin had no intention of elaborating on his family life and bit back her question about why he had run away. It was clear that the boy felt like he had said too much already and she refused to pry, not wanting to bring up painful memories.

They sat in silence for a while; no one knowing what to say. Merlin was exhausted from sitting up and eating as well as talking. The drugs coursing through his bloodstream were battling his energy as well as his pain. He snuggled closer into Arthur's chest and cautiously wrapped one of his own bony arms around Arthur's waist. He waited with baited breath to be punched, beaten or at least pushed away, but smiled when Arthur returned the gesture, being careful of Merlin's back, chest and arms. Merlin was uncertain what was going on with his mind, half of him was shying away from comfort and trying to appear unfazed whilst the other half wanted nothing more than to hug Arthur, cry and bury himself in the security of Arthur's muscular arms.

Arthur grinned as he felt Merlin's breathing deepen and his grip around Arthur's waist slacken, the boy had fallen asleep in his arms. Arthur was uncertain about how he had gained Merlin's confidence so easily when his demeanour towards everyone else, including Morgana was so jumpy and untrusting but decided to roll with it. He very gently removed his arms from Merlin resulting in Merlin's head sinking lower into his chest but was relieved when Merlin continued to breathe deeply. Arthur then carefully lowered the boy back onto the mattress, resting his head on the pillow, pulling up the blankets and giving the boy a quick peck on the forehead, an action that Morgana did not miss.

Arthur was bored out of his mind; he had spent what felt like years, but was only four hours, drinking vending machine coffee from a plastic cup and had shredded the chickenpox leaflet into hundreds of pieces after reading it for the seventh time. He was currently staring at Merlin's face. He couldn't help but notice how Merlin's mouth hung open as he slept peacefully, Arthur noted how Merlin didn't snore (one of his pet hates) and how his lips were a beautiful shade of red like the skin of a strawberry. He also ended up running his fingers along Merlin's cheekbones, following the line of his jaw and then working his hand along Merlin's neck so that he could stroke the cartilage of Merlin's large ears and caress his earlobes. Arthur then watched Merlin's bandaged chest rise and fall rhythmically as he slept. Morgana had left to pick up the children from school and to sort out new accommodation, money was not an issue but she was very fussy, there had to be 2 ensuite bedrooms, a large lounge, a study, a library area, a play room ….. She had already organised 5 property viewings and was trying to find the perfect building for a new bakery, preferably bigger so she could set up a small café area as well.

Arthur was then jerked from his thoughts when he heard a strange whimpering noise like that of a hurt animal. He looked around as if expecting a half-dead dog to be lying in the middle of the sterile hospital room, although of course there was no such thing. He then realised that the noise was coming from Merlin, who was tossing and turning in his sheets, wrapping them around his skinny body like a cocoon. His eyelids were fluttering wildly and his hands were clenched in fists around the blankets. His breathing was fast and laboured and Arthur could tell that the boy was terrified and having a nightmare. Arthur had no idea what to do, he didn't want to wake the boy and startle him, but at the same time did not want the boy to suffer any longer. He inched towards the bed from the chair and carefully placed a hand on Merlin's cheek and shoulder and whispered his name softly at first, and then more urgently when the boy did not stir.

Merlin awoke covered in sweat with Arthur's face an inch away from his own. He immediately panicked and kicked out with his good leg, struggling as far away from the man as possible whilst simultaneously punching Arthur in the nose. Although there was not much force behind the punch, Arthur was knocked back, completely taken by surprise at how hard Merlin's skinny, yet sharp knuckles were. Merlin found himself hyperventilating with sweat pouring down his forehead. He felt incredibly cold, yet was clammy and couldn't stop his teeth from chattering or his entire body from shaking violently.

Arthur had panicked and ran out of the room only to bump into Gaius and the nurse who had been making their way over to Merlin's room to check and re-dress his wounds. They exchanged worried looks after seeing Arthur's bloody nose but he quickly reassured them that he was fine and Merlin was the one in trouble. "He was having a nightmare, so I woke him up, as you do, I mean I was hardly going to leave him to suffer, anyway, he completely freaked and punched me and started to cry and shake and stuff. I didn't know what to do!"

Gaius nodded and told Arthur it was ok and hurried into Merlin's room with the nurse at his side, Arthur, uncertain about what to do decided to follow them in to the room. Gaius was offering Merlin a brown paper bag and was speaking to him slowly, instructing the boy to take deep breaths. Merlin was not responding, and if anything seemed to curl up into a smaller ball, crying and rocking backwards and forwards taking in tiny gasps of air. Gaius gave the nurse a sad look and she exited the room, completely ignoring Arthur and returned less than a minute later with a syringe.

Merlin's eyes widened with terror at the sight of the needle and he began to scream and struggle against Gaius who had to pin the boy down. His howls of terror ripped through Arthur, who couldn't help but think that this was entirely his fault. Everything he tried to do always went wrong and he always ended up hurting people, look at Elena. Their fathers had tried to set them up, ending with her being extremely upset and offended by his rejection. It wasn't that she was not pretty or had a bad personality, but Arthur just didn't find her attractive in that way. In fact he didn't feel that way about any woman; the only person who invoked any sense of love in him was Merlin. The boy was a mystery, beautiful and gentle and Arthur, without meaning to had fallen head-over-heels in love with him.

The nurse had finally managed to insert the syringe into Merlin's arm and the boy had managed to pull himself out of Gaius' grasp and flop onto the bed sobbing in fright. Gaius looked over at Arthur who looked uncertain and nearly as frightened as Merlin and motioned for him to come over. Arthur did as he was told and perched on the boys bed, rubbing his back in what he hoped was a comforting way. Merlin was tightly hunched over himself and Arthur was sure that this could not be comfortable; the boy's leg had fallen out of the sling whilst he was struggling and had fallen against the bed, which was probably responsible for one of Merlin's cries. Eventually Merlin relaxed his muscles and he allowed Arthur to turn him round onto his back whilst the nurse repositioned his leg. Merlin felt so ashamed at having hit Arthur and acting in such a way and felt certain that he had ruined all his chances. He had been offered the opportunity of a lifetime and had thrown it away. He had hit Arthur. '_Arthur will never like me now. Why am I such an idiot?_' Merlin continued to sob and his head was so muddled that he didn't even know who was holding him tight, stoking his hair and kissing his forehead. He didn't even have the energy to struggle and pull away; he felt exhausted and allowed his body to sink into blackness.

So, hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter will be posted tomorrow (Monday) xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, thanks for the reviews nanesantos70, nadster23, greyember13, nactel and Nance, your comments really mean a lot and made my day far more bearable … my first lesson was chemistry, I mean really, who expects me to learn the Born-Haber process at 9 in the morning? :(

**Chapter 6**

Merlin's previous relapse meant that he had needed to spend a further week in hospital, he had jarred the bones in his leg causing more excruciating pain and he had to be put on more painkillers which reduced his appetite and made him incredibly dizzy. The boy was getting more and more distressed about being bed-bound and unable to collect Freya. Despite his pleading Gaius had told him that cats were not allowed into the ward as that would be unhygienic and could lead to infection. Merlin had argued that Freya was clean and that he washed her with cat shampoo whenever he could afford it and that she was constantly grooming but the surgeon was not convinced. Despite himself, Gaius had become rather attached to the boy and tried to offer him comfort whenever he had a spare 5 minutes, sitting down in the visitors chair and chatting about different medicines, illnesses and remedies. Merlin was totally fascinated by most of these subjects and Gaius bought in one of his oldest and most treasured books about illnesses in the Medieval period.

The book was bound in brown leather and looked to be at least one hundred years old, it was held together with leather buckles and written in beautiful calligraphy. The book was sub-divided into chapters on Dysentery , an infection caused by bacteria in food and water supplies, Ergotism, poisoning from a fungal infection of grain, Leprosy, a bacterial infection leading to disfigurement and many more equally horrific diseases with strange cures and excruciating symptoms. Gaius was very attached to the book and had read it numerous times since he was a young boy, but he decided that Merlin's need was greater than his own and that it would help to keep the boy entertained.

Arthur also visited everyday, and sometimes slept in the ward with Merlin. He never had many words of comfort, another of his weaknesses, but held the boy's hand and commenced in light conversation. They discussed everything from their favourite bands, who ranged from 30 Seconds to Mars, Placebo, Mogwai, All Time Low, The Used, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Taking Back Sunday. They also chatted about their favourite books, colours (crimson and navy blue) and food. Merlin seemed incredibly interested in the last subject and had never heard of many of the delicacies that Arthur mentioned, such as chocolate gateau, ravioli and bread pudding. Arthur had spent at least a quarter of an hour explaining to Merlin that bread was nice in a pudding but Merlin was not at all convinced, in his mind bread should be reserved for sandwiches!

Merlin seemed to be extremely relieved that Arthur had forgiven him for his previous outburst and found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with the man who had offered him hope, and metaphorically saved his life. He enjoyed their conversations and relished in Arthur's undivided attention, laughing at all of his awful jokes and taking in every word coming from Arthur's mouth. He also found himself making a lot more physical contact with Arthur, he enjoyed resting his head on Arthur's shoulder or chest. He delighted himself in pretending to be asleep there and noting how Arthur would stroke the seemingly asleep boy's hair and kiss his ears. Arthur would also help the boy to eat his food, as Merlin was still suffering by episodes of shaking due to the drugs and his anxiety. Gaius had come in to inform them that he and the nurse would be coming in after he had finished his lunch to change his bandages, and that if everything was still healing and looked alright Merlin would be able to leave.

Merlin was incredibly excited by the prospect of leaving and Arthur assured him that they would have a great time living together, and that he would spoil Merlin rotten. Arthur had already planned to cook all the meals they had discussed, he never usually cooked and went out to restaurants, and his attempts would probably be abysmal. He had always eaten food made and sent by his father's caterers, but it was the thought that counts and he did not think Merlin would feel comfortable in a crowded restaurant due to his nervous disposition. He also informed the boy that they would have to go shopping and buy some new clothes, all costs paid by him. At this Merlin had almost burst into tears but satisfied his overwhelming emotions by throwing his arms around Arthur's neck and kissing his cheek. However, it was not Arthur's cheek that he kissed at all, but his soft plump lips. Arthur had anticipated Merlin's last moves and had turned his head slightly so that their lips would be brought together. Merlin looked completely shocked and began to pull away in an attempt to apologise but Arthur had pulled him into a tight embrace and had interlaced his fingers in Merlin's hair, pulling Merlin's face closer to his own.

They looked passionately into each other's eyes and Arthur raised his eyebrow questioningly to check that Merlin was ok with this development in their relationship. Merlin did not protest, but closed his eyes and allowed Arthur to press another kiss to his lips. Merlin was incredibly unsure about what to do so allowed Arthur to take the lead. Arthur gently prised Merlin's lips apart with his tongue and they moved into a deeper kiss, each savoring the taste of the other's mouth. They moved slowly and passionately, exploring and releasing all the romantic feelings that had been accumulating. After a few moments the kiss became less slow and more desperate, both boys crashing their lips and tongues together as Merlin allowed instinct to take over him. He moved his hands so that one was clutching Arthur's golden locks and the other was running along his muscled back. Merlin felt as if his mouth was in fire and as Arthur's right hand began to trace over Merlin's jaw, ears and cheekbones he let out a low moan of passion and pleasure. Arthur pulled away and grinned, flashing his white teeth at Merlin who looked like a startled, yet very smug rabbit. Arthur lent back over Merlin and the hospital bed and began delicately running his lips along Merlin's face, occasionally kissing his nose, eyelids and ears, eliciting a noise almost like a purr from Merlin, who had leant into the pillow in ecstasy. He couldn't believe this was happening to him and never wanted to open his eyes in case Arthur disappeared from his sight.

However, they drew apart rapidly when startled by a coughing noise from the doorway. Gaius had begun to enter the room and was smiling at the boys and letting out a laugh at their discomfort. "Save it for later lads!" The boys looked at each other's flushed faces and began to laugh as well. "If all is well then you will be able to go home today," he raised an eyebrow, leaving the rest unsaid. Arthur stood up from the bed and settled into the chair next to Merlin, taking his skinny hand into his own, larger one and offered a squeeze of comfort. Gaius didn't know what to do about Arthur, it was not protocol to allow others in the same room when the patient is undressed but the boys were clearly very close and Arthur would probably help the boy to relax. None of them wanted another episode to be triggered and Gaius decided that he would break the rules just this once.

Arthur helped Merlin to untie the long-sleeved gown and almost gasped when he set eyes upon Merlin's emaciated body. His collar bone was extremely prominent and his arms were positively skeletal and he and the nurse edged forward and assisted Merlin into a sitting position. She then began to carefully unwrap the bandages from his torso, deciding to get the most painful part over with first. It was clear that Merlin was trying to cover up his pain but the trickle of blood running down his chin was a clear giveaway. Merlin had bitten down on his lip during one spike of pain in his determination not to cry out and tears were beginning to leak out of the corner of his eyes. Arthur continued to squeeze his shaking hand and stroked the part of Merlin's arm that was not covered in bandages. The nurse continued to remove the bandages and then applied a paste to the wounds, which were now well healed and informed Merlin that bandages were no longer needed, but he should apply the ointment once a day. Arthur couldn't tear his eyes away from Merlin's skinny body, he could count his ribs and was horrified by the sight of his stomach, which wasn't just flat but hollow. Even though the staff had provided him with more than enough food Merlin was frequently sick due to the pain medication and his bouts of dizziness put him off food, so he had not put on much weight over his stay.

The nurse then did the same to Merlin's arms and left leg, leaving the right in its cast, the bone was still not set in place and Merlin would have to keep the cast on for another 4 weeks. Merlin occasionally allowed a whimper to slip and at one point he pulled away from the nurses grasp and buried his head into the crook of Arthur's neck, tears of pain now freely flowing from his eyes. he cautiously wrapped an arm around Merlin, feeling his spine sticking out and began to kiss his cheek and forehead gently until the boy stopped letting out strangled noises and hiccupped himself back to normality. Arthur felt a lump in his throat and tried desperately not to cry, his lovers pain was almost too much to bear. Once this was all done Gaius checked over the wounds for himself and stated that although there would inevitably be bad scarring, Merlin was doing well and was allowed to go home as soon as he had been given and had mastered a set of crutches.

So, that it for today folks. I hope you enjoyed it and I will try and write and get up the next chapter tomorrow, I have a free period at school :)


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks greyember13, I am glad you love my story! Haha, nanesantos70 if only others agreed that I am a "lovely person" most people ignore me or just think I am weird, including my so called ex-friends who left me out of everything and decided my company was not worth having. The stresses of being an introvert :/ (Sorry about that rant, releasing some anger!) Also, thanks Nance, I thought it added a bit of depth and I wanted to include some awesomeness from the TV series in any way I could ;) And I hope your Arthur-cooking desires will be fulfilled in the last couple of chapters, lets just say it didn't go as smoothly as he hoped!

**Chapter 7**

Well it could safely be said that Merlin was not at all elegant on crutches, he had absolutely no balance and knocked into practically everything in sight. Arthur could not help but laugh at one point when Merlin practically ended up in the splits with his legs splayed out and only his crutches holding him up. Arthur was strongly reminded of the Disney film Bambi and moved over to Merlin's side. At first Merlin began to pull away, determined that he would get himself out of this situation and prove to Arthur that he was not a complete klutz but his arms gave way and he would have crashed to the floor if Arthur had not been there ready to catch him in strong arms. Arthur leant Merlin against himself until the boy was steady and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before giving Merlin a slight nudge, encouraging him to try and take some more steps.

Two hours later after a lot of swearing, laughing and tantrums Gaius deemed that Merlin would probably be able to manage now and informed them jokingly that this was the longest anyone had ever taken to master the devices and that he had never seen anyone fall over or bump into so many things. He also mentioned the trolley that Merlin had practically flipped onto after bringing a crutch down on his own foot and tripping! Merlin humphed at this and glared at Gaius, but could not pass off an angry look due to his flushed face and the sheepish grin that had formed across his face. Arthur, taking Merlin's lead then burst out laughing, earning himself a jab in the side from the crutches which then caused Merlin to topple over into Arthur's now outstretched arms. Arthur had become rather good at predicting when Merlin would fall and had been ready for him to topple over after the attack.

Merlin had fallen straight into Arthur's arms and was now staring sheepishly into his eyes, unsure whether to laugh or be embarrassed by his feeble attempt to protect his dignity. However, Arthur interrupted his decision making and leant in to kiss Merlin deeply, so that Merlin allowed himself to sink further into Arthur until their chests were pressed up together. Arthur could feel Merlin's pounding heart and tried to guess whether the fast beating was due to his exertion or their close proximity. Once again he righted Merlin and supported him with a hand around the waist until Merlin looked relatively stable and could hold himself upright. Gaius gave another cough and motioned down the corridor which led to the exit. Both boys looked at each other and grinned, Arthur scooped up Merlin's backpack, which was charred and falling apart, deciding that it would throw Merlin even more off balance and helped his lover over to the main desk where they checked out.

They then made their way over to Arthur's car, Arthur leading the way and Merlin following behind uncertainly. Arthur saw that Merlin was beginning to panic and was thinking all this was too good to be true so gently placed a hand on the boy's back and whispered into his ear, "it is ok Merlin. Everything will be alright now. You can live with me for as long as you want to, forever if that's what you would like." There was a slight pause and Arthur then allowed the words he had been restraining to tumble out of his mouth, "I want you to stay with me forever. I have never felt this way about anyone and you mean the world to me. I love you." Merlin looked into Arthur's eyes, for a second convinced that this was a trick, but he saw that Arthur was being genuine and whispered, "I love you too." His response was barely audible but Arthur felt a rushing feeling inside him and threw his arms around Merlin, simultaneously kissing him and pressing Merlin against the passenger door of his car. They made out passionately until Merlin had to pull away gasping for breath and they just held each other for a few minutes, Merlin's head resting on Arthur's shoulder which seemed to have been shaped for this exact purpose.

Eventually, Arthur stated that they needed to get going and opened the car door for Merlin, assisting the boy in and placing his crutches and rucksack in the back of the car. He then pecked Merlin on the forehead again and made his way to the driver's seat after shutting the passenger door. Once they had been driving for 20 minutes Merlin asked where they were going, Arthur had said that he lived down Camelot road but they were now heading in the wrong direction. Arthur had deliberately taken a right instead of a left and smiled, I think there is someone we need to pick up first! Merlin cottoned on immediately and beamed, his eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement and he began to tap on his leg in an attempt to contain his anticipation. He was finally going to be able to see Freya again.

After what felt like hours Arthur pulled into the RSPCA centre and got out of the car, opened the back door and grabbed Merlin's crutches. Merlin had managed to swing his legs out of the car on his own and accepted the crutches which Arthur held out to him. With little assistance Merlin was standing up, although he swayed rather precariously, Arthur noted this and recognised that Merlin was exhausted from today's events. Although Merlin had been healing well the exertion had clearly had a cost and the painkillers were also causing Merlin to have very little energy. Arthur kept a very close eye on Merlin, looking out for a sign of the boy fainting or collapsing but the only time merlin stumbled was when he misjudged the kerb and ended up sticking his crutch down the drain. This time Arthur managed to hold in his laughter, the previous jab to his side had been surprisingly painful and he was going to try and avoid another one. He encouraged Merlin to wrap an arm around his shoulder and to lean against him and then managed to pull the crutch out of the drain and passed it back to Merlin whose second attempt to step up the kerb was much less clumsy.

It was then a 1 minute walk over to the entrance and Merlin picked up his pace so that Arthur had to jog to keep up. They reached the desk in a period of time that Arthur would not have thought possible considering Merlin's state and they informed the receptionist, Nimueh (according to her badge), that they had come to pick up a cat called Freya. She looked slightly weary at this and said, "oh, the vicious one?" Merlin shook his head, Freya was the gentlest cat he had ever met, apart from when she had attacked Arthur, but that had been to defend him. He then thought back to all the other occasions when Freya had hissed and scratched anyone who threatened Merlin and nodded slowly. "She isn't violent, she just doesn't like strangers." Nimueh looked unconvinced but led the way and pointed towards one of the small rooms. Merlin and Arthur entered and Merlin's face broke out into a grin. Freya was fast asleep on her back wrapped up in a large blanket and twitching in her sleep. The receptionist handed him a key but stayed well back, it was clear that she was weary of the cat and had no intention of being clawed to death. However she was incredibly surprised when Merlin woke the cat, scratching her behind the ears. For a moment Freya began to shrink back but as soon as she recognised Merlin's scent she began to purr and rub herself against his legs, meowing like crazy. Merlin beamed and sat down in the small room. Freya took this as an invitation and jumped onto his legs and began to rub against his face and lick his nose and cheeks. Arthur grimaced when he realised that he would not be able to kiss Merlin before he washed in fear of tasting fish for a week! The receptionist, clearly in denial muttered something about the cat just being in a good mood and pulled out a travel case.

Merlin shook his head when the said case came into his eyesight and said that Freya would not go in there and that he could carry her. Arthur pointed out that Merlin had to use his hands for the crutches but Merlin just laughed. He said "shoulder" and Freya immediately pricked her ears up and jumped nimbly onto his proffered shoulder. She had clearly put on weight from the unlimited supply of pet food but Merlin was determined that he would manage. He allowed Arthur to pull him up and carefully manoeuvred himself out of the room with the aid of the crutches. Nimueh almost laughed at the sight and concluded that Merlin was using some sort of Magic to tame the cat, a ridiculous thought of course, but the only one which could explain the Freya's behaviour.

Once all the paperwork had been signed Arthur, Merlin and Freya made their way to the car. At first Freya seemed to be nervous about the car and licked Merlin's ears insistently but Merlin whispered words of comfort to her and eased himself into the seat. Arthur then took the crutches, placed them in the back and once again began to drive. Freya had curled up fast asleep on Merlin, lying on her back with one outstretched paw which Merlin took in his hand and massaged. With his other hand Merlin ran his fingers through her thick hair in a similar way to how his stroked Arthur's when they kissed earlier and Arthur couldn't help but smile, Freya and Merlin's love for each other was clearly strong and was turning him soppy and sentimental. 10 minutes later Arthur realised that the movements in the corner of his eye had stopped. Merlin had fallen asleep with his head pressed against the window and had ceased stroking Freya who was now grooming and watching Merlin like a guard-dog, well like a guard-cat, Arthur corrected his thoughts.

When they reached Arthur's house he didn't have the heart to wake Merlin up, he looked so peaceful so he opened the car door as quietly as possible and waited for Freya to hop out before scooping Merlin into his arms and making his way to the front door. Merlin weighed alarmingly little and Arthur decided that he definitely needed to fatten the boy up; it couldn't be healthy to be this skinny. With difficulty he opened the front door and carried Merlin into the lounge where he laid the boy on the sofa. He then went back to the car, grabbed Merlin's crutches and rucksack, locked the door and entered the house. He dumped the items in the hallway and made his way upstairs to retrieve some blankets, which he then carefully wrapped around Merlin. Arthur then leant down and kissed Merlin softly on the lips and watched as Freya jumped up onto the sofa and promptly fell asleep on his lover's lap.

Arthur quietly crept out of the room, shutting the door behind him and had a quick shower. He then went into the spare room and made the bed, dusted the shelves and window-sill and vacuumed the floor whilst thinking about what to cook for dinner, or at least attempt to cook. He never usually cleaned due to his cleaners, but they were not due for another 3 days and Merlin needed somewhere clean to sleep. Arthur himself was ready to sleep in the same bed as the boy but he didn't want to rush things and scare Merlin off.

He eventually decided that he would make ravioli with bread and butter pudding with ice-cream after their previous discussion. _'Come on Arthur, you can do it, I mean how hard can it be?' _Arthur gave himself a mini pep-talk and made his way down to the kitchen.

After two hours of cooking Arthur answered his rhetorical question, it could be very hard indeed to cook. All of the work surfaces were buried under pots, pans, trays, whisks and plates. He had just pulled the bread and butter pudding after 45 minutes in the oven. He had added far too much butter and one less egg than the recipe had said, but decided it wouldn't make much difference. The outside of the pudding was burnt and a crust appeared to have formed over the top layer of the pudding but Arthur decided that he could hide this fact with the homemade ice cream which had curdled despite being made in a machine! He left the pudding to "rest" on the side, joking with himself that the pudding was lazy and that if anyone deserved a rest it would be him after all the effort he had put into the process of making it. At least it smelt good!

He then moved over to the kitchen table, which he had turned into another work surface having decided that this would be easier than cleaning up the mess. He had already prepared the filling and the pasta squares (or wonky polygons) and had piped the mixture into half of them when he squeezed to hard, resulting in pork paste flying in every direction and splattering all over the floor and white walls. 'What on Earth do chefs see in this' He swore and decided that he had prepared too many squares in the first place and that he and Merlin would have plenty to eat. The process of cooking the ravioli went relatively smoothly, narrated by grumbles and curses on everything from the inventor of pasta to the saucepan which he knocked onto the floor, which thankfully did not wake Merlin up. Another hour later Arthur was staring proudly at the dishes it had taken him 3 hours to make, he was rather proud despite their appearance and managed to convince himself that his attempts were not too bad. The ravioli was leaking pork filling and the ice cream had begun to melt as he had plated up the pudding too early, not considering the fact that they would have to eat the main course first. Grinning to himself he then exited the kitchen in order to rouse Merlin.

So that's it for today as this chapter was much longer than usual, I had two frees and couldn't be bothered to socialise at lunch so ended up writing this for longer than previously planned! Hope you enjoyed it and I will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

Oh that made me laugh, I agree they are definitely 'tits,' none of them liked Merlin :O Thank you for your continued support greyember13! Nanesantos, you made me cry :/ in a good way though! You have no idea how much that means to me, and it is my pleasure to write this, and I would continue even if you were the only one reading! Although I love Colin more, he is mine, all mine *laughs evilly which turns into crying when she realises Colin is out of her league! Krazeevilturtle (love the username by the way, turtles rock!) thanks! I wasn't expecting to update so much either but I think I am addicted to writing, definitely not going to help with A2 Levels! Also thank you IndiaMoore and Guest. Last but not least thank you Nance, I love cooking as well and had a great time daydreaming about what could go wrong with ravioli in my chemistry lesson, my teacher gave me some weird looks when I was randomly smirking to myself. My reputation as 'strange' has now been heightened.

**Chapter 8**

Arthur walked into the lounge and cast his eyes upon the two sleeping figures on his sofa. The blanket had slipped from Merlin's chest and Freya had moved from his legs so that she was pressed up against his chest, with his head resting on her side. He stood smiling, that strange gooey feeling coming over him again and he began to think of what would be the best way to wake his lover up. Eventually decided, Arthur began to say Merlin's name with increasing volume, he did not want to startle him or cause the boy to have another panic attack or whatever it was, so definitely was not going to touch him. However the only set of eyes to open were piercing green and belonged to Freya who yawned widely, revealing her sharp teeth menacingly. Even though Freya seemed to have sensed that Merlin and Arthur were friends she clearly did not fully trust him and looked extremely angry about being woken. She was probably dreaming about catching a mouse or something. Freya then lazily stretched, arching her back and causing Merlin's head to shift, consequently waking him up. Arthur decided that this had all worked in his favour and that the risk of being mawled was worth taking since Merlin had been woken up without causing any undue stress.

Merlin blinked up at Arthur blearily, his eyes still half closed as he tried to escape the light coming in from the window. His head still felt heavy and he was confused about where he was, not an alleyway, or the hospital…Arthur's. He sat up self-consciously and wondered how Arthur had got him inside and about how long he had been asleep, surely it was impolite to fall asleep on someone's sofa without asking, in fact he didn't even remember arriving. Arthur couldn't help but smile at Merlin's dazed face and half-listened to him babbling on about how sorry he was for being rude. Arthur reassured Merlin that he had not been rude at all but was clearly exhausted and then began to answer the questions that he was bombarded with.

"How long was I asleep?" "About four hours." "FOUR!" Merlin looked embarrassed but Arthur quickly interjected and threatened that if Merlin said sorry one more time he would mercilessly tickle the boy until he was begging for mercy. Merlin decided not to take the risk and waited a few moments to ask, "What is that burning smell? Did you set something on fire?" Arthur scowled slightly; he had become used to the smell of charred pudding and now that Merlin mentioned the smell seemed very strong. He just managed to stop himself from going on a tirade about how difficult it is to cook with the wrong equipment. Of course the equipment wasn't the problem at all but Arthur was not one to admit his failings or incompetence. "Merlin, that would be our dinner. Don't worry, it isn't as burnt as it smells" '_I hope,_' he added the latter in his head. Merlin gave him a knowing nod and a goofy grin before swinging his legs around sitting up, letting out a small groan as his head span from the motion. Arthur looked concerned but decided that Merlin would probably be less dizzy once he had eaten. He therefore passed Merlin the crutches and helped him into the bathroom, waiting awkwardly outside the door and hoping the boy could manage. A short while later he heard a loud crash from inside and Merlin swear rather loudly. Concerned he opened the door to find Merlin sitting on the floor looking rather dazed with blue shower gel pooling around him.

Once again Arthur tried and failed to restrain himself from laughing at the boy's misfortune and joked, "If you were that desperate for a bath before dinner you could have said, I assumed that you would want one afterwards." Merlin mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and Arthur assumed this was some sort of rude retort as he made out the word "clotpole." Finally pulling himself together, Arthur grabbed a pair of his jogging bottoms and a t-shirt which he assisted Merlin into and helped the boy up and into the dining room, where he had laid the table with a vase of flowers, real silver cutlery and expensive table mats. However, the actual food did not look quite so impressive, the ravioli did not look better in the bowl as Arthur had hoped and the filling was still oozing out ominously. Merlin did not comment but smiled slightly to himself, he was feeling rather hungry for the first time in days and he was sure that the food would taste amazing despite appearances. Once Arthur had also sat down and began to eat he picked up the knife and fork uncertainly, it had been years since he had eaten any fresh food, normally resorting to tins, packets or when he was particularly desperate scraps from bins.

He skewered one piece of ravioli on his fork and admired the shape, which was almost like a hexagon and wondered how Arthur had cut it out in such a way. Arthur saw Merlin eyeing the ravioli and misjudged his expression of interest as distaste and flushing, admitted that they were meant to be square with a crinkled edge but he ran out of time. Merlin could tell this was an excuse, he had four hours in which to cook which was plenty, but assured Arthur that they were delicious none the less and that squares are a boring shape anyway, too regular and predictable. He was hardly fussy with food. And with that, Merlin practically shovelled the ravioli down, grinning at how good it tasted and looking up once he had finished. Arthur had only got through half his bowl, he wasn't a slow eater by any stretch of the imagination and was often told off for eating too quickly and giving himself hiccups, but Merlin must have been starving, ravaging the pasta like a man possessed. Arthur asked Merlin whether he would like some of his own pasta and Merlin sheepishly accepted, eating Arthur's portion in record time. Arthur smiled to himself, his efforts had not been wasted, and he excused himself from the table, taking the empty bowls and returning with the pudding on two plates. He had scraped off the worst of the burnt bits and had covered the dessert in ice cream to make it look better.

Once again Merlin did not comment on the look of the plate but ate the food as if it were from a Michelin star restaurant, complimenting Arthur between mouthfuls and grinning as if all his Christmases had come at once, admitting that it had been 7 years since he last had a dessert. Arthur looked shocked at this revelation and vowed that he would make or buy a pudding for Merlin every day for the rest of his life. He began to run desserts through his head, butterscotch tart, lemon pie, cheesecake, chocolate fudge cake, cupcakes, key lime pie, banoffee pie, Battenberg cake, Mississippi mud pie, chocolate mousse, coffee cake and carrot cake. His head was spinning with possibilities and he beamed, picturing Merlin's delighted expression at tasting them all.

Once both of their appetites had been satisfied and Arthur had cleaned the table, refusing Merlin's offers of help, he showed the boy to his room and went to the bathroom, ensuring there were clean towels. He then helped Merlin to wrap his cast so it was waterproof as the nurse had instructed and half an hour later Merlin was sitting on a sofa in a pair of Arthur's brushed cotton pyjamas and wrapped in a blanket, sipping a cup of hot chocolate. He had never tasted hot chocolate before, his father had never allowed him to have any, saying it would ruin his teeth but Merlin knew that he just didn't want his son to receive any pleasure. Arthur had made the drink with cream instead of milk, with whipped cream and marshmallows on top and a dusting of cocoa powder. He never usually went to so much effort but wanted the boy's first experience to be as pleasurable as possible.

Arthur snuggled closer to Merlin on the sofa once he had finished his drink and wrapped a tentative arm around him, once again worried that the boy might feel uncomfortable. However, Merlin just beamed and rested his head against Arthur's lap as they began to discuss what superpowers they would choose and then arguing about whether invisibility or the ability to stop time would be more useful. Soon however, Merlin was yawning and Arthur suggested that he should go to bed. Merlin had been dreading this, he often had nightmares and didn't want Arthur to find out, and he was terrified of the dark. While living on the streets he always chose alleyways next to streetlamps. He smiled when Arthur showed him his room, his disappointment at not sleeping in the same bed as Arthur was minimized by the sight of the thick feather duvet and pillows. Arthur lifted Merlin up and placed him in the bed, pulling the duvet up over Merlin, placing a folded up blanket under his broken leg and kissing Merlin deeply on the lips, only to pull away startled when Freya jumped onto the bed as well. Sighing he got up and moved to the door, and whispered, "night Merlin, love you," just loud enough for the boy to hear.

So that's it for today, although there will be a bit of Merlin angst next chapter as I decided things were going a bit too well, yes I know I am evil! Don't worry though, the romance will continue 3 I will try to update tomorrow but I have a full day so may not have as much time to write :( Love you all xxxxx


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys, a warning here for a brief mention of abuse, the actual event is not described, just the before and after and event that is vague as I don't want to upset anyone. If you want to avoid this it is in paragraphs 3 and 4 and the story will still make sense if you skip them x William, yes it is all Merthur, sorry! There is quite a lot of plot as well though so you may still enjoy the story. Nance, IKR, I could kill for some cake right now! Nanesantos70, 3 is all I have to say. Ronja, thank you very much for your review, glad you like the story. Yeah I was in a bad mood when writing this chapter so it is even more angsty than planned, sorry :S

**Chapter 9**

As soon as Arthur left the room Merlin felt dread and fear wash over him. Arthur had turned out the light and the sun was almost down now, the streetlight outside his window was broken and his room was getting incredibly dark.

~*~x~*~~*~x~*~~*~x~*~

**Flashback**

Ever since he had been little Merlin had been terrified of the dark, his mother, Hunith, had allowed him to sleep with a nightlight and tried to comfort him but there was something about the unknown that distressed her child greatly. Merlin's father Balinor was far less sympathetic and would often come in and turn it of, accusing Merlin of being a "baby" or a "spoilt brat who should behave like a normal child." Merlin did not point out that most children aged 7 were terrified of the dark. On nights like this Merlin would cry in the darkness, sensing ominous presences hanging over him and jumping at every creak in the hallway until his mother climbed into bed with him and hugged him tight, whispering words of comfort until he drifted off into sleep. Balinor had not known about Hunith's attempts to calm the boy as they had not spent a night in the same bed for years, whilst drunk, which was most of the time, he claimed that she was unworthy of his attention and that he didn't want to touch filth.

For one and a half years Merlin's fears had subsided, his mother had finally managed to convince him that nothing was going to hurt him at night. However, after her death when Merlin was 9 his fears came back. The police had said that his mother had committed suicide, but Merlin knew this was not the case; his mother would never have left him like that, not without saying goodbye. He knew deep down that his father had somehow caused herself, and never to this day had found out how, but he knew he was no longer safe and had no protection. The night of his mother's death Merlin had clambered into bed fully dressed, he had no energy or intention to change into pajamas and knew he would not be able to sleep. He had switched on his nightlight, the plug was stiff since it had not been used for so long, and he pulled the threadbare blankets over himself for comfort and hugged his pillow, breathing in his mother's lingering scent. Merlin lay curled up like that for hours, sobs turning to tears and when his eyes were eventually dry Merlin just stared at the wall in front of him and imagined his mothers arms wrapped around him. After staring at the wall for hours he felt his vision go blurry and fell into an uneasy sleep, that was when his father had entered the room and turned off the nightlight, smelling strongly of beer and towering over Merlin's in similar way to Merlin's imaginary presences. He shook the boy who let out a strangled cry and tried to pull away, the room was pitch black and Merlin could sense that something terrible was about to happen.

That night Balinor had viciously attacked his son, beating the boy until he passed out and leaving his limp body slumped in bed against the wall, which was now smeared in blood. Merlin awoke the next day in a world of pain; he let out a groan and sobbed, fear and terror coursing through him. He had no idea what to do; he was sure that at least one of his ribs were broken and didn't want to move in case he saw his father. Eventually Merlin persuaded himself that the previous night had been a one-off and walked to hospital. He had been wrong, the attack was not a one-off. Once he turned 15 Merlin decided that he was ready to run away and live on his own. He would get the bus to London and find a family who wanted him.

Of course this was completely naïve and had never happened; most people ignored the limping boy stumbling around the streets and he had soon realised the harsh reality of life, that nobody wanted him and that he would have to rely on himself. That had been the first day that Merlin had spent sleeping in an alley, the first of many.

~*~x~*~~*~x~*~~*~x~*~

Merlin lay amongst the comfy bedding with thoughts of his past running wildly around his brain, tormenting him and coaxing out deep emotions which he had desperately tried to repress. He concentrated on the diminishing light coming in through the curtains and tried to tell himself that he was going to be alright, "_I am in Arthur's house, nobody here will hurt me. Arthur will protect me. I am safe. Stop being irrational Merlin! There is nothing to be afraid of; there are no evil presences here, Balinor is dead now, there was a car crash, I saw the body. He cannot hurt me."_ Finally Merlin managed to drift off to sleep.

Arthur woke up with a start when he heard screams coming out of the adjacent room. He kicked back the covers and stumbled blearily out of bed, turning on the lamp on his bedside table and simultaneously rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Another piercing scream came from the room next door and Arthur wondered what was going on, fear causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. When he threw the door to Merlin's room open and switched on the light he was horrified by what he saw. Merlin was writhing in bed wildly, one arm flailing wildly whilst the other hovered defensively over his face. The boy was curled up in a tight ball and was covered in a sheen of sweat, whimpering and occasionally crying out, "no, not her, **LEAVE HER ALONE!** NO. Please, leave us alone. **DON'T HURT HIM!"** He then began tear his hands along his arms in distress, leaving streaks of blood behind. Arthur made his way over, determined to stop Merlin from hurting himself further when Merlin suddenly stilled and stopped tossing. Arthur looked down concerned at his gaunt his features and was horrified by the mask of fear that he was met with. Merlin's face was pure white, his mouth open and twisted in a silent scream of unbearable pain, not physical pain, that could never cause such a haunted look, but emotional pain. Then, Merlin's face went completely slack as he fell unconscious, his brain clearly couldn't deal with the torment it was facing.

Once again Arthur had no idea about what to do but briefly recalled a first aid talk he had attended at school and maneuvered Merlin into the recovery position, a task made easy by his meager weight. He took his sweaty hand, waiting for Merlin to stir. When Merlin eventually came round he was disorientated, his body was aching all over, he felt weak and was trembling violently. Merlin let out a strangled gasp and threw his arms around Arthur unable to speak and broke down completely. Arthur supported the boy and kissed him repeatedly on the forehead whispering that everything was ok and that nothing would hurt him. He used the exact same words that his mother had spoken all those years ago, making Merlin cry harder still, embarrassed by his weakness but unable to contain himself. "_I am 18 for goodness sake, get a grip on yourself!_" Once Merlin had eventually calmed down Arthur asked him what the dream was about, hoping that the boy would feel better after explaining his dream.

~*~x~*~~*~x~*~~*~x~*~

**Merlin's Dream**

_ Merlin could smell smoke and rushed towards and through the flames, entering a small bakery. Tied to a stake was a woman and two small children. There was a pile of wood beneath them and his Balinor was holding a lighted torch to the wood, smirking as it set alight. At first Merlin thought that the woman was Morgana and that the children were Gwen and George, but before his eyes their features began to mutate and change, their bodies joining together, their eyes glowing gold until Huntih's prone figure was tied alone, surrounded by flames. Balinor was now cackling wildly as his wife's screams echoed around the room, which was no longer filled with small tables and display cases but had a stone, cobbled floor and walls draped with crimson hangings. Merlin ran forward to help his mother but as soon as he reached the stake his mother disappeared and the ropes wound their way around his own body. Balinor had also changed, and looked like an older version of Arthur. "Emrys, you have been convicted of magic, the murder of three innocent people and the corruption of my daughter, I, Uther Pendragon sentence you to death!" Merlin tried to protest, he had done no such thing. He needed Arthur. As this thought materialised in Merlin's head the main entrance to the door flew open and two equally sized men rode on horseback over to Merlin, who was eyeing the torch in Uther's hand. They both dismounted at the same time and stood either side of Uther. They then removed their helmets and Merlin saw beautiful gold locks and two pairs of kind eyes staring straight at him, no one pair. One Arthur was staring at him hopelessly, mouthing "I love you." The other was smiling sadistically, his eyes cold. Those were not Arthur's eyes, they were too dark. The second Arthur, who did not seem to be Arthur at all, suddenly mutated, shrinking slightly, his hair turning brown and curly. The name Morded popped into Merlin's mind, the man reminded him of an illustration in the children's version of the Arthurian legend. Mordred's dark eyes glowed gold and suddenly the real Arthur was tied next to Merlin, and Uther was bringing the torch down, setting both boys on fire. Merlin was begging for them to have mercy, for Arthur's freedom but his world turned back as he entered oblivion._

~*~x~*~~*~x~*~~*~x~*~

"Merlin, what did you dream about? I might be able to help. You will feel better if you talk about it." Merlin shook his head weakly, Arthur would think he was mad; he often had dreams involving characters from his favourite children's book. His mother had read it to him before he went to bed and Merlin often found himself daydreaming about the characters, putting them in different situations and imagining ways for them to escape. His daydreams were a coping mechanism and had almost become a part of him, he knew none of it was real but despite this he spent many days and nights thinking about his imaginary heroes whilst he lived on the street. They almost seemed like friends now and the way that they always resolved their issues offered Merlin some comfort. He did not want to admit this.

However, Merlin finally gave in, the look in Arthur's eyes was so full of concern and love and he did not want to build their relationship on a foundation of lies. He explained every aspect of his dream, his breath hitching occasionally and a few tears leaking down his eyes. Arthur gave him a reassuring smile once Merlin had finished and admitted that he often found himself daydreaming about being a superhero and saving the day whilst he was on duty and assuring Merlin that it is a perfectly normal aspect of life. Although there was still one aspect he didn't understand. "How often do you get these nightmares, or similar ones?" Merlin croaked "almost every time I sleep." Arthur then looked more puzzled, "but why didn't you have a bad dream earlier on the sofa." Merlin now looked extremely uncomfortable and mumbled, "I only get them at night. I'mafraidofthedark." The last sentence came out in a rush and Merlin waited for Arthur to mock him and was startled when a look of pain flashed across his lover's face. "Oh Merlin, you have no idea how much I love you. You are not strange and should definitely not feel ashamed, I went through a terrible phase of being afraid of the dark when I learnt that my mother died whilst in labour with me. I was inconsolable, believing it was all my fault." "How did you get over it?" It was now Merlin's turn to be sympathetic and concerned but he was desperate to find a way to cope. "Morgana would bring in her sleeping bag and sleep next to me, hugging me and I found that she made the nightmares go away. Soon she was able to turn the light off as long as she stayed with me and then one night I just went to bed on my own without turning it on. The darkness didn't bother me anymore."

Merlin gave a small nod and kissed Arthur on the lips, slowly and uncertainly. Arthur responded in an equally gentle manner and massaged Merlin's tense shoulders. When they pulled away he scooped up the boy and carried him to the bathroom where he rubbed Germoline into the wounds and washed away the blood. He then took Merlin into his own room and laid him down in the bed. He switched on the bedside lamp and then turned off the main light. Merlin looked nervous but smiled when Arthur slid into bed next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Merlin wrapped his own arms around Arthur and felt his heart melt when Arthur whispered, "don't worry Merlin, things will look better tomorrow."

Merlin felt exhaustion rush over him and fell fast asleep, wrapped in Arthur's arms so tightly that it was hard to tell where each boy ended and begun.

Yep I was definitely in a bad mood when I wrote this earlier! Anyway I hope you guys didn't mind and I promise there will be some major fluff and romance in tomorrow's chapter to make up for this! Please stick with me, I love you all 3 x


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry, no time to respond to reviews today, I will do it tomorrow x This post is a bit short as I ran out of time so what I wanted to happen in this chapter didn't but I will make up for it tomorrow x

**Chapter 10**

Merlin slept well for the rest of the night, lulled into a sense of security by Arthur's arms. He did not have any more nightmares, or even dream. When he awoke he felt fully rested for the first time in years, relishing in how his body sank into the memory foam and noticing that his muscles were not aching for the first time since the fire. He also noted that his head was not resting on the pillow, but on Arthur's chest, which was rising and falling softly as he breathed deeply, fast asleep. Merlin then noticed the weight around his good leg and waist. Arthur had intertwined their legs whilst asleep and had clearly swung a protective arm over Merlin. Merlin snuggled closer to Arthur so that their chests were pressed together and breathed in his scent smiling and waiting for his lover to wake up. When Arthur stirred he felt a warm presence resting against his chest and opened his eyes, yawning widely and smiling sleepily when he saw that the warmth on his chest was in fact Merlin's head.

Merlin stared up at him and gave a small smile, shifting so that they were face to face. Arthur gently untangled his legs from Merlin's, being careful not to knock the cast, but kept his arms wrapped tightly around his lover's waist, staring adoringly into his eyes. He then leant forward to kiss him gently on the lips. Merlin responded vigorously, pressing his mouth against Arthur's and biting down on his lover's lower lip gently. Arthur groaned in pleasure and allowed Merlin's tongue to enter his mouth. He was slightly startled in Merlin's increased confidence but did not question it, just glad that he had managed to put the nightmare behind him. When Merlin was forced to pull away for air he whispered, "I love you so much Arthur, you saved me." Arthur felt emotions rushing through him and a lump formed in his throat, "you saved me first, I have never exactly been a caring person, I guess I was too big for my own boots and conceited, but you showed me a way to become a more loving person." Merlin did not know how to respond to this, so settled for another kiss, this time broken when Merlin's stomach grumbled loudly, making him flush slightly. Arthur smirked slightly and said, "For someone so skinny you have the biggest appetite I have ever seen!" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them, '_how could I have said that_, he's skinny because he didn't have a chance to eat, not because he didn't want to.' Merlin just laughed and prodded him in the stomach saying, "not all of us live of chocolate gateau cake or whatever it is your sister bakes." "I am not fat" Arthur responded indignantly, making Merlin laugh harder, "just don't eat too much Arthur or I will have to make another hole in your belt." Arthur grumbled, and shot Merlin a mock-offended look.

Well, if that is your attitude towards my weight maybe I shouldn't grill croissants with full fat butter, prepare a fruit salad or cook bacon this morning. Merlin grinned goofily and held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. "Fine you win" he retorted, "but I would lay off the full fat butter if I were you." Once again Merlin grinned cheekily and ducked when a pillow was aimed at his head. Arthur had swung the pillow aiming for Merlin's head but for someone so clumsy Merlin was very quick and agile when he needed to be. He humphed and got out of bed, admitting defeat and walked over to the wardrobe. He flung open the doors and picked out a blue t-shirt and jeans for himself along with two pairs of pants and socks. He flung a pair of socks and pants at Merlin and considered what to clothe the boy in. All his clothes would be far too big, and he eventually had to pick out a T-shirt that hadn't fitted him for three years, knowing that it would still be too big. He then grabbed a pair of trousers that were a couple of inches too small for him. Arthur had no idea why he kept these clothes but at least they had proven to come in handy. Merlin accepted the clothes, tucking them under his arm and excusing himself, going into the bathroom to wash, being careful not to get his cast wet. He emerged a quarter of an hour later, the t-shirt hanging loosely and revealing his scarred arms. The trousers were also far too large and he had to hold them up.

He entered the bedroom where Arthur had already changed and was sitting on the bed waiting. He had clearly washed in the ensuite, and looked slightly miffed when he saw how ill-fitting the clothes were. He pulled a belt out of the draw and passed it to Merlin who had slumped onto the bed next to him and had been rubbing his hands, the crutches were beginning to rub painfully. He slid the belt around his waist only to find that there was not a hole small enough. "You know what I was saying about having to put another hole in your belt…" Arthur laughed slightly and left, returning with a kitchen skewer that he had never used. He had no idea what it was for but the utensil had come in a kitchen set. His sister had told him it was to poke holes in cakes to check they were cooked but all the cakes Arthur had attempted to make had always been cremated, leaving no question as to whether they had or had not been cooked. He did not mention this, keeping his dignity and offered Merlin the belt back once he had poked in a new hole. He also pulled out a jumper and handed it to the boy, seeing that he was self-consciously trying to cover the scars on his arms. Merlin accepted the jumper gratefully and now his outfit was complete Arthur decided that it wasn't so bad after all, the crimson jumper fitted him well, it was baggy but fashionably so and Merlin had put on his scarf, which had remarkably escaped the blaze and had been lying folded on Arthur's bedside table.

Arthur made his way to the kitchen, determined that his cooking would be better today, however after setting fire to a tea towel, over toasting the croissant, burning the bacon and cutting his finger whilst preparing the fruit salad he decided that he would never enter another kitchen in his life. Cooking was definitely not his forte! Merlin sat down without complaint and once again wolfed down his meal as if he didn't know when the next would come. Arthur sadly thought that he had been so used to eating food sparingly so he would not run out, and never did know when his next meal would come. It was clear that it would take time for Merlin not to treat food like a gift about to be snatched away, and for him to recognise that he would have three square meals a day. Once finished Arthur said, "Well Merlin, I think it's time that we go shopping, you could definitely do with some new clothes and I owe you a new coat!" Merlin beamed at the thought, picking up his crutches and making his way to the front door, following Arthur's lead.

Sorry nothing really happened today, this chapter was meant to be a lot longer but I got a load of chemistry homework … the bane of my life! Also I had a meeting in my only free period and went bowling (I won a game for the first time ever and got 2 strikes and 6 half strikes, SO PROUD ! ) So yeah that put me in a good mood. And as further justification my computer crashed :( I will upload a longer chapter tomorrow and maybe even 2 depending on how long I go cycling for :) Please stick with me !


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Hey guys, once again sorry for yesterday's short post, hope I make up for it today! I have given up on the chemistry homework so here I am again… Oh dear I'm going to fail! Nactel, thanks again and greyember13, don't worry I am in a better mood after bowling and cycling! Nanesantos70, homelessness is always an issue which has upset me and I wanted to write a fic that did not trivialise the issue, but showed some of the real issues that people face on the streets, I hope I am doing an ok job. WibblyWobblyGirl yes, yes it is, its got be out of many situations! (Loving the DW reference … timey whimey, and if that wasn't what you were aiming for this is an awkward moment!) Ronja, thank you very much. Never-wake-up thank you as well, I have being trying to work on my description J Nance, and I love writing them, I have never set fire to an oven mitt but a kitchen roll once got in the way of the gas cooker :S nanesantos70, thank you for the other comment ! Greyember *blushes and bows. So… *takes a deep breath after that long spiel. Thanks everyone, love you all and hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Merlin and Arthur pulled up at Westfield shopping centre in London and spent the next 10 minutes searching for somewhere to park. The traffic was unbelievable and numerous times Merlin hunched up, certain they were going to crash. Arthur laughed at Merlin's reaction; he was used to negotiating London traffic and was weaving in and out of lanes until he eventually found a parking space a 5 minute walk from the shopping centre, which they had been circling like vultures. Arthur hopped out the car and once again collected Merlin's crutches and opened the door for him, avoiding a passing motorbike by inches. Merlin gasped when he saw the motorbike come so close to Arthur and hurried out the car as quickly as possible so his lover could get out of the road as soon as possible. Arthur could see the concern etched in Merlin's face and once they reached the pavement he gave him a tight hug and kissed him on the forehead, earning a few wolf whistles from a passing group of teenagers. Arthur just laughed and said, "lets give them a show!" Without further ado he began to snog Merlin who was taken by surprise but responded happily. The passers by realised that their taunts were not having any effect, so slouched away, sniggering.

Merlin walked slowly, his arms were aching from using the crutches for so long and his leg was still very painful. The hospital had told him to cut back on the painkillers and he resented them for it, whether they had the best intentions at heart or not. Arthur saw Merlin's discomfort and felt broken when he knew there was nothing he could do but support the boy. He decide to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly and said, "nearly there." When they reached the doors to the centre Merlin was shaking slightly from the pain and admitted, "I think I need to sit down for a bit." Arthur nodded and took Merlin over to the nearest café where they both sank into a seat. A waitress walked over and took their order, two hot chocolates with whipped cream and a slice of carrot cake each. It was not lunchtime yet and they had only eaten breakfast and hour ago but Merlin's body was clearly still weak and he was still ridiculously skinny. Merlin's face broke out in a wide grin when he saw the hot chocolate, it was in a tall glass, looked thick and there was a mountain of cream topped with marshmallows and a dusting of chocolate powder.

Merlin decided that hot chocolate was definitely one of his favourites now. He then proceeded to eat the entire slab of carrot cake, which had been huge with three tiers and thick icing. Arthur had gained a whipped cream moustache and Merlin was wondering how long he could get away with not mentioning the fact. Of course, he wouldn't let Arthur walk out of the shop like that but for the time being he did look rather amusing! Arthur noted that Merlin was barely holding back a snigger and asked "what? This isn't about me eating too much is it?" Merlin shook his head, biting down on his lip. A look of comprehension spread across Arthur's face and he picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, much to Merlin's disappointment. Arthur then proceeded to scrunch up the napkin and threw it at Merlin, who once again used his lightning reflexes and avoided the attack. The waitress shot them both a dirty look, picking up the napkin and flouncing over to another table. When she returned with their bill she put it down with a bit more force than was necessary. When she retreated Merlin and Arthur both stuck their tongues out at her and held back laughter, not wanting to draw any more attention to themselves.

Arthur left the money on the table and walked out with Merlin, with their heads held high, just remaining in control of their sniggers. As soon as they left the café they burst out laughing, leaning against the nearest wall for support until tears flooded down both of their cheeks and they were gasping for breath, Arthur clutching a stitch in his side. When they regained control Arthur nodded over to the Topman store and they began to make their way over to it when three figures came running towards them. It was Morgana, George and Gwen. Gwen and George threw their arms around Merlin's waist and hugged him tightly. "Mummy said that you are the nice man who saved my life," Gwen exclaimed breathlessly. "Yeah," George interrupted her next sentence, "you are like a superhero, are you Spiderman?" Merlin laughed and shook his head, slightly amused by their disappointed looks. "Are you Superman then?" Arthur answered this one, "yes, he is a super man." Morgana had caught up with them and hugged Arthur and then Merlin, kissing the latter on the cheek, gaining a slight blush. "So what are you two doing in this neck of the woods?" "Shopping," Arthur stated the obvious, owning himself a scowl. "Well you did ask a stupid question." George  
and Gwen giggled and turned their attention, hugging Arthur who scooped them both up and kissed them on the nose. When they finally squirmed out of his arms they went back to Morgana, taking their mother's hands. "Would you like to meet up for lunch later?" Morgana waited for a response as Arthur looked over to Merlin, who nodded. "Yes that would be lovely, 2 o'clock." "Perfect, see you at Costa?" "Yes." With that Morgana smiled and led the children away to a toy shop.

Arthur turned to Merlin and asked, "You don't mind do you?" "No of course not! The children are so lovely, Superman!" Merlin laughed t their innocence and added, "If anyone is a super man it is you." Arthur grinned, thinking back to his daydreams but forced himself to stay concentrated on Merlin, this was his day out and Arthur was determined to spoil him rotten. When they entered the Topman store Merlin's eyes widened, he had never seen so many clothes and had previously been lucky to be able to afford anything from charity shops. On occasion however the shop owner would take pity in him and offer him a few items for free. Merlin had never fully accepted these offers, the money went to a good cause and there were people out there in a worse of situation, so he would give them whatever money he had and just accept a discount.

Arthur began to move around the shop, skillfully moving in and out of the isles and picking numerous items of clothing up, examining them and holding them to Merlin's body. "What do you think about that?…Hmm…Maybe in blue…Why do they not have the next size down?…Red looks nice on you…How about this top?…Blue or black denim?" Merlin gaped at the pile of clothing in Arthur's overflowing basket and just nodded dazed when Arthur asked him questions. He had no idea how much all this would cost and felt incredibly self conscious accepting such generosity. Arthur was now flinging countless pairs of socks and underwear into a new basket to which three more t-shirts and four pairs of shorts had been already been added. Merlin just gaped at Arthur and was startled when he raised his voice and said "MERLIN." Merlin jumped and wondered what he had done wrong, for a moment he expected to be hit and Arthur froze when he saw the look of fear cross Merlin's face. "Sorry Merlin, I didn't mean to frighten you, I just wanted to get your attention so I could ask what colour belt you want." Merlin felt guilty for reacting so dramatically, of course Arthur would never hurt him, Arthur looked on the verge of tears for scaring his boyfriend and Merlin quickly began to reassure him that everything was fine. "Sorry Arthur, I was worlds away. I think a black belt would be nice."

Arthur nodded and searched through the rack for the smallest belt the shop sold. He eventually pulled out three and asked whether Merlin liked the design of them. Merlin, who had no idea about belts just nodded again saying, "they are perfect." "You know you can say if you don't like something, I am beginning to wonder if you would nod if I offered you a luminous pink tutu!" Merlin began to laugh at this and shook his head for the first time that day, "No thanks, not really my thing!" "Thank goodness for that!" They began to laugh again and Arthur led Merlin over to the changing rooms after another 10 minutes of picking out clothes. When they reached the cubicles Merlin looked weary, they had now filled five baskets to the brim and it would take him ages to try everything on. Arthur gently pushed him into a cubicle and sat outside waiting.

It took just over 1 hour and 15 minutes for Merlin to sigh in relief; he was now trying on the last T-shirt. Arthur had insisted that he saw all of the clothes to check that they fitted ok, stating that he would only buy the very best for his lover and was prepared to go back and pick a different size. This had happened 17 times, each time for a replacement garment one or two sizes smaller. The last top, crimson with a cartoon dragon breathing fire forming the word, "Rawrr," fitted perfectly and Merlin decided that it was his favourite. Although a myth, the idea of dragons had always fascinated him and his mother had made up stories for him about a dragon called Kilgharrah who fought evil wizards with his dragonlord Emrys. Merlin had delighted in these stories and insisted that his mother told him one at least every other day. Smiling he picked up his crutches and showed the top to Arthur who grinned, it was perfect! He began to place all the clothes back in the basket as Merlin changed back into his own clothes. He was incredibly worn out and was glad that they were meeting up for lunch with Morgana and the children in less than half an hour, any more shopping and he would collapse, talk about shop till you drop!

They made their way over to the checkout where there was a ridiculously long queue. Merlin shifted uncomfortably on his crutches and Arthur laid down the baskets which seemed a lot heavier than earlier. Once they were second in line Merlin was very pale again, and was struggling to hold himself upright. The last of his energy had been sapped and the painkillers, even in a low dosage, were once again making him weak and drowsy. Finally, they reached the front of the queue and Arthur paid with his credit card, shielding the high cost from Merlin, who would never have accepted the clothes if he knew how much they cost. Once they had all been neatly folded and packed into plastic bags Merlin and Arthur exited the shop and got halfway to the Costa when Merlin's vision went blurry. He felt incredibly dizzy, weak and unsteady on his crutches. His head was spinning, followed by a strange falling sensation as his legs gave way beneath him as he fell into a dead faint.

Arthur turned when he heard Merlin crash to the ground, assuming and hoping that he had just tripped. However, Merlin was lying with his eyes shut and his breathing was shallower than normal. Arthur rushed back to his side, dropping the bags and calling for help terrified. A young man in a suit rushed over and said, "Don't worry I am a doctor," he knelt down to check Merlin's breathing and gave Arthur a reassuring smile. "He'll be ok, he just fainted, say his name gently and give him some of this and he will come round soon enough." Arthur accepted the water bottle being handed to him and said, "Merlin, Merlin, wake up, Merlin, are you ok? Can you hear me? Merlin!" He fumbled with the water bottle, his hands were uncharacteristically shaking with nerves and when he eventually poured some into Merlin's mouth half missed and slid down his cheeks and neck.

Merlin opened his eyes when the cool water hit his face and he gasped, confused and wondering why he was on the floor. He was completely disorientated and his head was pounding. Merlin looked up and saw Arthur's concerned expression and let out a low groan, pressing his long-fingered hands to his forehead and sitting up slowly. Someone had placed an arm on his back and was helping him into a sitting position, for which Merlin was grateful, he was sure that he would not have been able to manage by himself, not that he would ever admit that. Arthur had sat down next to him and was holding out a water bottle. Merlin accepted and drank deeply, the cooling liquid reducing the pounding in his head, which he rested against Arthur's shoulder weakly. "What happened?" Merlin's voice was weaker than normal and he looked deeply embarrassed, his cheeks tomato red. "You fainted Merlin, you were probably on your feet too long." Merlin nodded at this information and drank more water. Luckily he did not seem to have hit his bad leg, although he was sure that his elbow would come out in bruises soon. The doctor asked, "Do you feel any better now?" Merlin nodded and allowed the two men to lift him up, leaning against Arthur whilst the doctor bent to pick up his crutches which had flown about three meters away. After giving Merlin a quick once-over, looking at his eyes to check for a concussion, although he was pretty sure the boy had not hit his head, he informed them that Merlin was fine but should have something to eat and sit down. With that, both parties left, Arthur scooping up the bags and keeping a wary eye on Merlin.

They reached Costa and Arthur sat Merlin down, kissing him on the head and waving at Morgana and the children who were making their way over. They all sat down and Morgana looked concerned, "Are you ok Merlin? You look rather pale." Merlin began to say that he was fine but Arthur butted in, "he fainted." "Oh no, do you feel better now? Can I do anything to help?" Merlin assured her that he was feeling better and that he was just hungry, although his head was still pounding and he felt slightly nauseous. Gwen plonked herself rather ungraciously next to Merlin and announced proudly that she had fainted once when someone kicked a football at her head. George humphed at that and said, "that was nothing, I got bitten by a snake once!" "Yeah but it was only small, more of a worm and it wasn't even po..poy…poisonous." Gwen struggled slightly on the last word but looked defiant, deciding that she had still won the prize for the best injury. Merlin and Morgana exchanged amused looks and told Arthur what they wanted to eat.

They sat together chatting and eating merrily, Merlin thought the food was delicious, his mozzarella, pesto and tomatoes panini was perfect, warm and lightly toasted. He felt far less dizzy now and rested a hand on his full stomach, it would take a while for him to get used to this feeling. Once the topics of football, school, art, Led Zeppelin and the paint for Morgana's new café (which she had bought the previous day) had been discussed Arthur insisted that they should head home. Merlin was putting on a brave face but Arthur could tell that he was worn out and should get some rest. Once paid they all hugged, Arthur sweeping up the children in his arms again and swinging them around with ease. He then put them both down and kissed them both tenderly. George and Gwen then hugged Merlin brightly and Morgana lent in to kiss both her brother and Merlin on the cheeks. "Take care!" They then went their own separate ways and Arthur and Merlin found themselves back at the car. Merlin dozed off halfway home and Arthur turned on the radio on the lowest volume and sang along to The Cure. Merlin woke up when they pulled up at the drive, but kept his eyes closed amused by Arthur singing along to Guns n' Roses. Arthur said his name a few times and Merlin feigned waking up, yawning widely and made his way to the door with Arthur following with the shopping.

They both made their way to the lounge and sat down heavily on the sofa and turned on the television and began to watch Come Dine With Me. Merlin laughed at the contestants and by the end of the episode Arthur felt a bit better about his own cooking disasters. At least his soufflés had never sunk (not that he had ever made any but that was beside the point!) Halfway through another episode Merlin dozed off again with his head slumped against Arthur's shoulder. Arthur smiled at this and found himself watching Merlin sleeping instead of the television, it was far more interesting to watch his chest rise and fall steadily.

Hope you liked it xxx


	12. Chapter 12

Hey Nance, this chapter is for you since you wanted some Morgana background and café moments :) nanesantos70, I think I have decided on what Merlin will do with himself and will address it in a later chapter :) Also, thank you greyember13. I am thinking of doing 3 more chapters as I am beginning to run out of ideas, but if you have any requests let me know in your reviews xxx Enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

Arthur eventually managed to slip off the sofa, carefully laying down Merlin's limp form and picking up the blanket which had been left in there the other day. He cautiously tucked Merlin in, stilling immediately when Merlin let out a small groan and rolled over, still fast asleep. Arthur chuckled quietly and wondered whether Merlin would sleep through a tornado! He crept into the kitchen once again, despite his better judgement and decided that he would attempt to make pudding. He was definitely not going to cook a main meal, the only thing left in the fridge was chicken and the last time he had cooked a chicken he ended up giving himself and Morgana food poisoning, and she had not talked to him for a week! He found a pizza delivery leaflet and placed it on the table; he would ring later after he had made dessert. He then opened up his laptop and typed in 'easy dessert recipes.' He eventually decided on a website called 'cookingfordummies' he would never admit that he was dumb and had clicked on the webpage by accident but it had clear, step by step instructions accompanied by pictures. He flicked through the pages and decided on Key Lime Pie, which was pretty much like a cheesecake and he was sure it would go well. He quickly melted some butter in a pan, burning it the first time but managing to get it to the right consistency second time round. He then stirred in some digestive biscuits which were a few days out of date, what harm could an out of date biscuit do? Once he was happy with his base he squeezed some lime juice into a bowl and picked out the pips and added the cream and condensed milk. He didn't own a whisk so used a fork instead, there wasn't that much difference after all and added in the lime zest which he had prepared earlier. Happy with the mix he then poured it onto the biscuit base and placed the whole lot into the fridge, where it would remain for a couple of hours.

Uncertain about what to do next Arthur took a shower, scrubbing the flecks of condensed milk out of his hair and changed into a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt that wasn't covered in pie mix. He reflected that all in all this last escapade in the kitchen had gone rather well, apart from the butter there had been no disasters. Arthur smiled to himself, Morgana would be proud. If he carried on improving like this he should invite her round to dinner, and would assure her that chicken was not on the menu, maybe he would attempt beef. He then picked up a book that he had been reading for the last few months, he was not a quick reader and preferred more physical activities such as football and rugby to reading. After reading two more chapters he threw the book down with a groan of frustration, he had just read the last sentence four times. He was so bored! Arthur went downstairs and grabbed his laptop again and began to watch episodes of his favourite comedy shows on iplayer, eventually loosing interest in this as well. Giving up he went into the lounge to wake Merlin. Freya was curled up on his lap, stretched out luxuriously and yawning widely. Arthur lent forward and began to stroke her head gently, scratching behind her ears and he had seen Merlin do. Freya looked slightly puzzled and cocked her head to the side, beginning to purr thinking, 'maybe this human isn't bad after all, and if Merlin likes him I should make an effort.' She jumped lightly from Merlin's lap and rubbed up against Arthur who grinned, wondering why the cat had such a change of heart. He was now covered in cat hair, so much for changing into clean clothes and sat down on his favourite armchair. Freya leapt lightly onto his lap purring and licked his hand, padding on his leg and flexing her claws into his skin. Despite being sharp she did not scratch any of his skin or draw blood and it felt strangely therapeutic. Arthur continued to stroke the cat until she was fast asleep, twitching her paws and dreaming of mice. Much to his surprise Arthur found himself dozing off as well and woke up two hours later, deciding that it was time for dinner and to wake Merlin up. He called Merlin's name gently and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, barely applying any pressure.

Merlin came round and smiled, he felt refreshed and the pounding in his head had relented. He sat up and wrapped his skinny arms around Arthur, kissing him deeply and relaxing his muscles against Arthur's chest. Something smelt really good in the kitchen and Merlin wondered whether one of Arthur's attempts at cooking had finally done well. Arthur asked him what flavour pizza Merlin wanted, but Merlin just shrugged saying that he didn't know any. They finally decided on two large pizzas, one a meat feast and the other Hawaiian, they would each have half of both pizzas. Arthur walked into the kitchen with Merlin close behind and opened a can of tuna which he emptied into a bowl and placed on the floor where Freya was purring madly, rubbing against Arthur and Merlin's leg, beside herself with the prospect of eating real fish instead of Iams. Merlin had occasionally bought her cans of tuna and went hungry himself, especially on days after she protected him from his attackers on the streets but not often enough to satisfy her desires. Merlin was smiling at her reaction, so glad that everything was back to how it should be.

He had found Freya rooting trough a trashcan for food like he was and felt sorry for her, offering the skinny cat the food he had scavenged. She wolfed the scraps down in seconds purring and Merlin scooped her up, hugging her tightly. He had received very little contact on the streets and found her warm body reassuring. Merlin had buried his face in her fur and when he eventually put her down and began to return to his alleyway she had followed him. Ever since then the pair had been inseparable. Merlin smiled at these memories and watched as Freya ate the fish at an alarming rate, only looking up when the doorbell rang. Their pizza had arrived. Merlin and Arthur sat down at the dining room table once again and Merlin was amazed by how good the Pizza was, it was huge with tonnes of cheese and filling, a calorific disaster! There was grease dripping down his arm and his mouth was completely full when he let out a moan of pleasure. Arthur smiled at this and found himself so glad that he had met Merlin and been able to change his life for the better. They then moved onto pudding and between them ate the entire pie, Merlin exclaiming how wonderful it and Arthur were between every mouthful. Arthur grinned and blushed, feeling rather smug. The way to a man's heart was clearly through his stomach!

After dinner Arthur helped Merlin wrap his leg up in plastic so it would be waterproof, allowing Merlin to have a shower. Merlin finally emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and smelling strongly of jasmine, not the most masculine scent but Arthur preferred it to Lynx. He had spent a remarkably long time in the bathroom and Arthur was beginning to get worried but he could hear Merlin singing softly under his breath and considering this was probably the boy's first shower in years he decided not to interrupt his flow. Merlin went into Arthur's room and pulled on one of his new pairs of pyjamas and allowed Arthur to unwrap the layers of plastic from his leg. He was booked in to have a check up at the hospital soon and hoped that they would be able to take off the cast sooner than planned; the crutches were driving him crazy. Arthur came out of the ensuite dressed in a blue pair of pyjamas with footballs on; he rarely wore pyjamas but didn't want to move too quickly with Merlin. Arthur switched on the bedside light as Merlin clambered into bed next to him, without words they had come to an agreement that Merlin would sleep with Arthur. Arthur hoped that this would prevent some of the bad dreams and that Merlin would be more comfortable. He switched off the main light and slid under the covers next to Merlin who smiled, leaning in kissing Arthur on the lips, passionately exploring his mouth which tasted of mint toothpaste. They drew back for air and Arthur rolled Merlin over onto his back and began kissing him more desperately, his hands locking in Merlin's hair and cupping his chin. They fought for dominance, Arthur winning with ease and eventually sank into the pillows, intertwined with each other and panting for air. Arthur carefully and slowly slid a hand up the back of Merlin's pyjama top and traced his fingers along the boy's spine, sending shivers through Merlin's body. Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur, pulling him closer still and snuggled into his chest and they eventually dozed off.

Arthur woke in the night when he heard Merlin mumbling under his breath, he was beginning to sound distressed and his eyelids were fluttering weakly. Arthur couldn't make out much of what Merlin was saying but picked out his name a few times. He lent in and kissed Merlin gently, rousing him and saying softly, "Merlin, you were having a bad dream, are you ok?" Merlin gave a small nod and tightened his grip around Arthur, who reciprocated the motion, kissing Merlin again and rocking him gently in his arms until his lover fell asleep again. They both slept soundly for the rest of the night and didn't even notice when Freya crept in the room and jumped onto the mattress next to Merlin. When the boys woke they felt something warm and furry between them and laughed, Freya was upside down asleep with her body pressing up to their bodies. They both got up, careful not to knock her and got dressed, Merlin spending ages deciding which of his outfits to wear first, he had never been able to decide what to wear as he only had one option before so relished in the opportunity. Arthur poured them both a bowl of cereal and prepared toast, which was once again slightly browner than Arthur was aiming for, maybe yesterday's pie had been a fluke.

Half an hour later they received a call for help from Morgana, "Please will you come and help me paint the shop! You have no idea how many walls there are and I have to do at least two coats." After a bit of grumbling Arthur agreed and informed Merlin of their new plan of campaign. Merlin smiled, he had always enjoyed painting and drawing and often doodled on any paper his mother would find him, often being lined, which ruined the effect. He changed into an old baggy top of Arthur's, not wanting to ruin his new clothing and they left for Morgana's new café. The children were both at school and were going to a friend's house for a sleepover and Morgana was going to make the most of the opportunity. She had picked out cream and blue paint and quickly informed them of what colour was to go where after she had greeted and hugged her helpers. Merlin took the blue wall whilst Morgana and Arthur began to tackle a cream wall each. Arthur did not have a very steady hand and ended up spilling paint all down himself, whereas Morgana was very impatient and rushed, missing some areas and having to repeatedly go over the same places. Merlin however took the job at a reasonable pace, painting the edge of the wall first and then filling it in with even strokes. Five hours later and after numerous coffee breaks Merlin had painted two walls perfectly despite having to balance on one crutch and had gone over the walls that Arthur and Morgana had botched.

They sat back to admire their handiwork and Morgana said, "Do you think it should have a border along the middle to break up the cream a bit." Merlin agreed and offered to do it, sketching out numerous designs on the back of an envelope and asking Morgana whether she liked any of them. She then spent the next half an hour trying to decide, all of the designs were beautiful and incredibly intricate, Merlin was clearly talented at drawing. After toing and frowing she eventually decided on a border of flowers and vines with beautiful birds interspersed between the leaves. Both Arthur and Morgana watched in amazement as Merlin took the remaining blue paint and proceeded to replicate his drawing in paint around all of the cream walls, and then painted the design in cream on the blue feature wall. It took him an awfully long time; he was determined not to make a mistake and was clearly a perfectionist. The design was beautiful and when he stopped Morgana beamed from ear to ear and pulled him into a tight embrace saying it was beautiful and that she would never have been able to decorate her new café without him.

Arthur then began to manoeuvre and set up the furniture that Morgana had ordered, setting out the table and chairs and then helping her to install the counter for all her baked goods. Morgana then left the room and began to lay out all her delicacies and Arthur placed all her crockery into the built in cupboards, collapsing into one of the chairs next to Merlin when he was done. Merlin had offered to help with the furniture but Arthur did not think it wise for Merlin to be lugging tables and chairs around in his state. Morgana glided over to them carrying Arthur's favourite chocolate gateau and three plates and they stuffed themselves silly, persuading themselves that they deserved so many calories after such hard work. When Arthur and Merlin finally left, they were full to the brim of cake. On the drive back Merlin asked, "So what's the deal with your sister? Who is Gwen and George's dad? Why isn't he around? What happened?" Arthur was quiet for a while before he answered, "Well, it's quite complicated, Morgana fell in love with a man called Mordred at university and ended up getting pregnant with him just a few years later. They were far too young and Mordred was not ready for the responsibility of having children, so he left her. Financially this wasn't a problem, our father had given us a lot of money and she had been saving up since high school when she first got a weekend job. It really upset her though, she went into post-natal depression after she gave birth to the twins and had to stay in hospital for a long time. I looked after the children and when she was discharged she set up the old café, determined that she would be the best mother she could. The café was blooming and she was doing really well for herself, until she received a phone call a couple of years ago. Mordred had got involved with some drug dealer gang and ended up being shot dead for not paying up. Morgana didn't take the news very well, despite everything she still loved him dearly and it broke her heart to know that he was dead. She went into depression again and the kids suffered, they moved in with me and Morgana received specialist treatment and she managed to get herself back on the right track. She is a strong woman and incredibly determined, I wouldn't mess with her!" Arthur gave a small chuckle which did not quite meet his eyes, it was clear that Morgana's hardship upset him deeply and Merlin squeezed his shoulder for the rest of the drive home, not saying anything, he didn't know what to say.

They ate in silence that night, Arthur's mind was clearly elsewhere and Merlin had ended up cooking some pasta which he had found in a cupboard and served with grated cheese. They both went to bed quietly and kissed, each needing to know that someone was there for them and that they were protected from the outside world in each others arms.

Hope you enjoyed this! Just a reminder, if you have any chapter requests let me know in your reviews xxx


	13. Chapter 13

Hey guys, thank you for the review never-wake-up, you have given me an idea (grabs notebook and writes it down before I forget - I have the worlds worst memory!) PurpleQuartz, welcome :) thank you so much for the review, glad the cuteness is coming over – although how can anything with Merlin in not have some degree of cuteness! Greyember, thank you once again, don't worry I will, totally addicted to writing atm! Nance, welcome back, glad you liked it! I am basing all the behaviour on my own cat, Whizzy, she is my life, sad I know but ho-hum. I love her to bits, more than most humans so tried to include some of her little quirks! Also, good idea, I will definitely use it, although I am not that great at humour, sarcasm maybe, but I will give it a go for you :S

This is a little bit of a filler to move things on a little so Merlin can physically recover in preparation for the next few chapter. Hope you like it x

Chapter 13

The days passed quickly, filled with Arthur failing to cook properly, Merlin rectifying the situation and trips to Morgana's new café which had opened for business, she certainly was not beating around the bush. After just over a week's worth of meals Arthur had decided that his cooking had finally improved enough to invite his sister and the children over and bought a leg of lamb for the occasion. He roasted it carefully, reading the instructions on 'Cookingfordummies,' which he had added to his favourites, though he was definitely not dumb, he was good at cooking but just didn't want to look too bigheaded. Totally. Merlin had been taking every opportunity to call him a dummy and every time he went on the laptop Merlin would ask if he was on Cuisine-for-clotpoles or Dining-for-dingbats. This seemed to amuse him greatly so Arthur did not argue verbally, also due to the fact that he couldn't think of a good comeback and resorted to throwing cushions at his cheeky lover.

Despite the torments, everything seemed to be going very well all in all, the onions were slightly more crispy than planned and the gravy looked a bit thin but the lamb was cooked perfectly and when Morgana arrived everything was in order. For once! Luckily Merlin had saved the gravy by adding an OXO cube to it. The children bumbled through the doors after their mother and hugged Arthur and Merlin cheerily, immediately bursting into speeches about their days at school. George ended up bragging about how many 'Well Done' stickers he got from his maths teacher whilst Gwen talked over him about how she had found her new pet woodlouse called Woody on a wall and that they were now best friends. She then proceeded to pull out a glass jar full of leaves, sticks and mud and proudly explained that she had made a copy of his habitat, a new word that she had learnt at school, so that he would not be homesick. She then informed Merlin seriously that she was going to find his family so they could live all together in their new home and be happy. Merlin smiled at the sweet little girl and congratulated George on his stickers. Arthur grinned, watching from the doorway, Merlin was brilliant with the children and they clearly saw him as part of the family now.

Once dinner was plated up and ready there was an argument about who would sit next to who. Both children wanted to sit next to Arthur and Merlin, which of course was impossible. Eventually Morgana took charge and ordered Gwen to sit next to Merlin and George to sit next to her whilst Arthur took the head of the table. Morgana looked amazed when Arthur put down the lamb, it looked edible! However, she did prod it suspiciously to check that the meat was cooked all the way through. They then ate the caramel and apple cake which Merlin had made, by that point Arthur was fed up of cooking and looked as if he were about to kick the oven so Merlin had saved the day.

After dinner they ended up playing Who? What? Where? A game where every player had been given a card and had to guess what, where or who they were. This ended in much hilarity with Gwen being the Queen, George a servant, Morgana a Witch, Merlin a potions master and Arthur an aubergine. Morgana guessed first, quickly followed by Merlin, Morgana, George, Gwen and finally Arthur. It turned out that despite his new found culinary knowledge and supposed expertise he knew nothing about vegetables apart from carrots, peas, sweetcorn and broccoli! Arthur ended up sulking about this for a good ten minutes, he was a very poor looser and competitive, so insisted on a new game, where once again he was last to guess that he was a goblin. Gwen and George had then rushed around playing chase the shoelace with Freya, who seemed to be having the time of her life, tearing around corners, being cuddled and stroked constantly. Once it reached 9 O'clock Gwen and George were dozing with Freya upside sown asleep on the sofa, Gwen resting against Merlin and George leaning heavily on Arthur, who was stroking his hair affectionately. Even Morgana looked slightly washed out after all of the excitement.

Arthur carried the snoozing children into Morgana's car and she kissed both Arthur and Merlin goodnight, thanking them for such an amazing evening. When the door was closed Arthur let out a weary sigh, he had forgotten how tiring looking after the kids had been! He and Merlin tackled the kitchen and dining room, tidying everything up, each had a shower and collapsed into bed exhausted, falling asleep almost immediately.

Arthur awoke late the next day and lay silently watching Merlin's chest rise and fall with each breath. He looked so peaceful and Arthur would have been happy to sit and stare at the beautiful boy before him until the end of time. He found himself brushing parts of Merlin's overgrown fringe out of his eyes and pecking his sharp cheekbones softly, although Merlin had put on some weight to his stomach, which was now flat rather than hollow and his arms and legs were slightly wider, his face was still narrow and angular. Beautiful. Arthur took Merlin's limp hand and intertwined his fingers with Merlin's, whose were far skinnier and long, whereas Arthur's were fairly short and about double the diameter.

He remembered that Merlin had his hospital check-up at two and it was already gone twelve, he never usually slept in so was clearly tired. He tried to rouse Merlin gently, still taking caution and not wanting to frighten him. Merlin mumbled something still asleep and Arthur picked out, "No, the fairies, they are stealing the cakes and making them into fairy cakes, too much icing, Arthur, quick, get the asparagus to help the aubergine defeat the fairies. They can't win, we won't let them. TOO MUCH ICING. Not sprinkles, ANYTHING BUT SPRINKLES, just hundreds and thousands. Arthur help! They sliced the asparagus, they are cooking the aubergine, HELP! They have taken the cheesecake!" Arthur burst out laughing at this and wondered how Merlin had such a vivid imagination, and what is it with people and aubergines these days! Merlin stirred when he heard Arthur laughing and said, "Sorry I slept in, I was having a really weird dream." He sat up and cocked his head, contemplating his dream and looking horrified when Arthur repeated his sleep-talked speech. He flushed and poked Arthur, saying that he shouldn't have listened and been spying on him, but Arthur began to tickle the boy so he could no longer complain coherently. Merlin tried to huff and look scornful but ended up snorting with laughter, which did not have the desired effect and only made Arthur laugh harder.

They eventually managed to drag themselves out of bed, Arthur picturing himself battling fairies and saving Merlin's cake, not the most heroic roles of his daydreamed self, but it would do. He served breakfast, well lunch technically and they both ate speedily, they would have to leave at half one in order to get a parking space at the hospital and time really does fly when you don't want it to. Merlin fed Freya some Iams and kissed her gently, informing her that he would be back soon and was answered with a loud meow. He took this as an ok and left, climbing into the car with Arthur and hoping that his cast would be taken off; it really was a pain using crutches.

They sat in the waiting room for a good half an hour before Gaius' face popped around the corner, he was grinning at Merlin, "Hello my boy. How are you? Better, good, good." They followed him into an examining room and Arthur took Merlin's hand as Gaius and a different nurse than usual began prodding Merlin's leg, eventually exclaiming that it was well healed now and that they would remove the cast. Merlin grinned and forced himself to relax as the layers were taken off, it hurt a lot but he wasn't going to complain, they would just make him keep it on for longer. Once Merlin was free Gaius and the nurse told him that he would need to practice walking for a while and that he would have to do some leg exercises in the morning and at night to strengthen the bone and damaged muscle. They told Arthur to remain seated when he stood up to steady Merlin, saying that he would need to be able to walk on his own. Arthur humphed, he was already bored and ended up reading Merlin's notes, which his lover had filled out at his first stay. Arthur tried to decipher the words, it was clear that the sayings about doctors' handwriting are true, and did a double take when he saw the date of birth. It was Merlin's birthday in three days and he hadn't mentioned anything. Three days! Arthur had just three days to plan the best birthday party he could, Merlin probably hadn't celebrated his date of birth for years and Arthur was determined to make his 19th special. He was now a man on a mission, a quest of great importance!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I will try to write another tomorrow but I am really busy so it may be the day after. Please review xxx


	14. Chapter 14

PurpleQuartz, thank you for the review, very cute indeed! Nance, glad you liked it, I did try to be a bit funny, but normally people don't get my sarcasm in real life! Greyember, I hope you have a great birthday! *sends a metaphorical cake in advance. Nanesantos70, agreed, cake is awesome! Auora-dawn89 I must admit I forgot about that, well reminded, I will get it in somewhere :) Just FYI there is a very brief mention of sex which isn't at all graphic (like two lines) in the last chapter, so yeah, just a warning in case you want to skip it!

Chapter 14

Arthur sat deep in thought on his chair for another hour in deep contemplation about his lover's birthday, creating a checklist surreptitiously on his phone,

Merlin's B'day :) !

v Cake – Morgana

v Balloons – Urrr?

v Presents – Shopping centre

v Food – Morgana / Online / Myself

v Music – IPOD playlist

v Guests – Morgana, Gwen, George, Gaius? NTS - Find out if Merlin has any other friends and invite them.

v Menu – All of Merlin's favourites – (NO CHICKEN or Morgana will kill me, that is if the chicken doesn't get me first!) pizza, pasta, toad in the hole, cocktail sausages, lamb, crisps – salt and vinegar, baked Alaska, sticky toffee pudding, coffee cake, ice cream, Key Lime pie and plenty of hot chocolate with whipped cream.

Arthur smiled proudly down at his phone, this was going to be brilliant, and the only issue was that he needed to get rid of Merlin for a day. He made a mental note to ring Morgana later and to ask if Merlin could stay with her tomorrow so he could go shopping and create a playlist. He was finally broken from his revere from a loud stream of profanities coming from the floor, Merlin's leg had been holding out well for the last 15 minutes and he had managed to stay upright but it seemed that he was naturally clumsy and had tripped over a caution wet floor sign, not even the wet floor, surely that defeats the point! Arthur slipped his phone in his back pocket and hooked Merlin up rather unceremoniously, steadying the boy as he teetered slightly on his feet whilst trying to regain his balance. Gaius grinned at the unusual pair, it was clear that both boys were smitten with each other and how much they relied upon the other, Merlin clinging to Arthur not just for physical but emotional support. The poor boy had clearly been through a lot and Gaius was glad that he had found himself a home. He also saw the need in Arthur's eyes; he was doting on the boy, who seemed to have drawn out his emotional side and made him into a softer, less battle hardened. From what Morgana had revealed about her medical record Arthur had been forced to care for both her and the children, not a task to be undertaken lightly. Yes, they were definitely good for each other.

Merlin had finally regained control of his feet and walked back to Gaius, still holding tightly onto Arthur, whose hand swamped the younger, skinnier boy's. "Can we go now? I am walking fine!" Gaius looked unconvinced but nodded, it was clear that Arthur would look after Merlin and he would soon get used to walking, another few bumps and bruises wouldn't make much difference to the boy's burnt, scarred skin. He wondered whether Arthur had seen all the scars, when the bandages had been previously removed from Merlin's chest, arms and legs the skin was red as inflamed and the burns were still raw and had not scarred over. Merlin seemed to be very self conscious and Gaius doubted if over the short period of time together Merlin had felt comfortable with removing his shirt in front of his partner. He was right. Merlin had been dreading removing his clothes in front of Arthur, he had seen Arthur half naked when he came out of the shower wrapped only in a towel and had been enraptured by his muscles and broad chest. Merlin had always been skinny and was teased for being 'scrawny' at school. He was littered with scars and surely Arthur would no longer like him if he saw his chest, legs, arms and back. The burns had left red welts across his body and Merlin could do nothing to get rid of them, there are wounds that even time will not fully heal. As soon as these thoughts clouded over Merlin he would force them away, Arthur had not tried to advance their relationship yet and had bought him pyjamas. Merlin could get away with hiding his body for a while longer. When Merlin was signing out Arthur ran back to Gaius and quickly invited him to Merlin's party, returning quickly before Merlin had realised he was gone. Arthur and Merlin left, still hand in hand and Gaius turned back to his notes, checking what consultation room he was meant to be visiting next.

When they arrived back home they slumped on the sofa and began the world's most competitive game of Monopoly, with Arthur literally stomping his feet when he landed in jail and Merlin cursing Arthur for buying the last blue block that he needed. When Merlin finally won, fistpumping the air in triumph Arthur groaned and stood up to make dinner, Merlin hopped up next to him and practically skipped into the kitchen, just because he could now that he didn't need crutches. Arthur laughed and thought, _'little things please little minds…simple pleasures…I should have won that game, if Merlin hadn't bought the red square before me I would have won…I let him win, it's only polite.'_ They cooked a pasta bake together, tossing utensils around the kitchen and looking alarmed when Arthur set fire to the handle of the saucepan, although miraculously the sauce survived. Merlin swiftly put out the fire whilst Arthur was still to busy panicking and continued to layer the pasta, sauce and cheese, trying to ignore the smell of burnt plastic that was stinging his eyes. He then slotted their dinner into the oven and they sat on the floor waiting impatiently, neither were in the mood to clear up. Arthur leant in and kissed Merlin, who found himself lying on the cool tiles with Arthur pressed against him and kissed back deeply, giving as good as he got. They continued like this until the beep on the oven went off, at this point Merlin had managed to gain dominance and had Arthur pinned to the floor, although his partner was not putting up much of a struggle! They struggled up and fetched their dinner, serving it up and wolfing it down, kissing should definitely be made a sport!

Arthur then asked Merlin whether he wanted a bath, this would be a perfect opportunity for him to make some birthday arrangements. Merlin shot Arthur one of his prized grins, teeth flashing and eyes shining brightly, he couldn't remember the last time that he had taken a bath and was not going to let the offer pass. Arthur went upstairs and ran the bath whilst Merlin grabbed a pair of pyjamas. Arthur poured in about half a bottle of bubble bath and used the shower to ensure the bath was extra frothy, only the best for his Merlin. When Merlin entered the bathroom he let out a small moan, it smelt amazing and he couldn't wait to immerse himself in the mountain of bubbles. He then began to undress, forgetting for a moment that Arthur was still in the room and only realising when it was too late, he had taken his trousers and shirt off whilst Arthur's back was turned and was now standing in just his pants. Arthur would see him. Merlin began to try and put the shirt back on but hit his elbow hard on the wall in his haste. Arthur whipped round at Merlin's sharp intake of breath and stared in shock at his body. Merlin saw the look in Arthur's eyes and flushed scarlet, tears of shame filling his own blue orbs and turned away to hide his chest, only to reveal his equally scarred back. Merlin raised a hand to his face and tried to rub away the tears now trickling down his face but they were coming down fast and he could not control his eyes. He tried to clear his throat but ended up letting out a chocked sob. Arthur was dismayed, the beautiful body in front of him was convulsing with suppressed sobs, he quickly realised that Merlin was ashamed of the scars, the scars which were evidence of Merlin saving his family. He reached forward and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin flinched and tried to move away but he had already subconsciously backed himself into the corner of the room.

Arthur took a firm hold of Merlin's waist and turned him round so that they were face to face. Merlin kept his head down ashamed and only cried harder when Arthur pulled him into his chest. Arthur wrapped a hand around Merlin's waist and stroked his hair with the other, shushing his lover affectionately and telling him that everything was ok. When Merlin's cries finally subsided Arthur held him at arms length and began to run his fingers along every scar on Merlin's chest. "Merlin," he said calmly, his voice unnaturally serious, "Merlin, you are beautiful. These scars are nothing to be ashamed of. They are beautiful. Do you know what this marks is? That is a mark which saved my sister's life, and that, that is a scar that saved Gwen. That is a scar that saved George. The marks on your body were made by love and sacrifice, you should be proud of them, I am. These scars are the reason we got to know each other, the reason I fell in love with you, what bought us together. These scars are a part of us, and I love you for them." Merlin saw the sincerity in Arthur's eyes and kissed him passionately, Arthur had also begun to cry silently and their tears mingled, running along both their faces and mixing. When they both pulled away Merlin wiped the tears from Merlin and his own face, and Merlin turned slightly, removing his pants, visibly shaking and climbed into the bath, submerging his body and relaxing as the warm water enveloped him. It had taken all his courage to completely strip in front of Arthur, but he had done it. Arthur gave him a weak smile and told him that he would be back and wash his lover's hair. Of course Merlin could do this by himself but did not complain, it was kind of romantic.

Arthur left the room, closing the door behind him and took a few minutes to compose himself, wiping away the last of his tears and heading downstairs, where he picked up the phone and rang Morgana. "Heya, yeah, yeah I'm fine, of course I haven't been crying, look, it's Merlin's birthday in three days, I am planning a surprise party, will you make him a cake? You are a star! What would I do without you? Umm, carrot. Not too much icing, and with hundreds and thousands, not sprinkles. Yes I know he isn't a kid, trust me it's a private joke! Do you think you can have him round the day before, I will tell him I am at a work meeting or something. Thanks!" Arthur smiled at the cake reference and was smug for remembering, this really was going to be the best birthday ever. He then leafed through the phonebook and found a balloon company, reserving 50 balloons saying '19 Today'. He then pre-ordered all the party food from his caterers, apart from the Key Lime Pie, there was no way he would be able to store and cook all the food without Merlin noticing. He then slumped onto the sofa; this party arranging was harder than it looked! Arthur plugged his IPOD into the laptop and created a birthday playlist comprising of all Merlin's favourite songs along with a few classics.

Deciding that he had done enough party planning, it had been over an hour after all he went back up to check on Merlin, who was lying back in the bath with his eyes closed and a contented look on his face. He gave a small cough and Merlin jumped, creating a tidal wave of water that nearly sloshed over the bath's side. Arthur smiled and grabbed the shampoo as Merlin sat up and allowed his head to be massaged lightly. He though if he became any more relaxed he would turn into jelly. Once Arthur had shampooed and conditioned his hair he helped Merlin out of the bath, turning slightly to offer the boy some privacy as he wrapped a towel around himself. They climbed into bed together, Merlin had pulled on a pair of pants but left off the pyjamas. Arthur did the same, taking Merlin's lead and they pressed themselves together. Merlin could feel Arthur's muscles ripple around him when he tightened their hug and Arthur could feel Merlin's ribs and flat chest against his own. He kissed the boy all over, starting with lips, ears, neck, shoulder blades. Merlin groaned and reciprocated. Soon kissing led to touching and the boys ended up making passionate love that night. Merlin stared up at Arthur with Bambi-like eyes and allowed pleasure to pulse through his entire body, gasping out Arthur's name as he climaxed. They fell limp next to each other and held on tight, breathing heavily, both too overwhelmed by what they had done, falling asleep in each other's arms almost immediately.

So, *flushes, it is more awkward writing a sex scene than I imagined, especially when your mum is plodding around downstairs. I don't want to change the rating of this so did not go into more detail, maybe I will write a more detailed account in another document if I get any requests (you will have to review or PM me), but it will be posted separately under a different title so others can continue to read this.

Hope you liked it :)


	15. Chapter 15

Hey guys, wow so many reviews for the last chapter…you have no idea how happy I am! Especially as my Merlin Series 5 box-set just arrived, **YAY** !Greyember13, ha it was more my mum being in the vicinity so I kept jumping at every noise thinking she was going to come in! Aurora-dawn-89 I am very glad that you enjoyed it :) nanesantos70, thanks so much, I was just thinking how I would feel in the situation and wanted an excuse for protective Arthur! Nance, haha three comments on one chapter, that must be a record! I am glad you liked the scene, and this is spooky, I wrote this chapter this morning at 11am and just read your review (it is now 6.20pm in my time) and I literally wrote out your suggestion earlier, great minds think alike! I don't know about pigs in blankets but toad in the whole is sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding (my favourite ever meal!) You should try it :) … Please tell me what pigs in blankets are, I am now curious!

Chapter 15

The next morning Merlin woke up first, a smile playing across his lips as he remembered the previous night. '_Arthur loves me! He really loves me!_' Merlin snuggled into his lover's bare body and breathed in his scent, absentmindedly stroking Freya, who had snuck in some time in the night and was now padding on his back for attention. Deciding that she was not receiving enough affection Freya meowed loudly, forcing Merlin to sit up and scoop her into his arms. Merlin kissed her gently and massaged her nose, drawing his knees up to his chest, encompassing her between his torso and legs like they used to when they both shared a cardboard box on the street. Freya seemed comforted by this and fell asleep and Merlin sat perfectly still so as not to disturb her of Arthur. He gently caressed her ears, brushing all her fur so it stood in the right direction and smiled. Merlin began to daydream about cakes, he had learnt some recipes off by heart, having sneakily been reading 'pastries-for-prats' over Arthurs shoulder, or whatever that stupid website was called! He began altering the recipe in his head, surely sultanas would be nicer than dried cherries, and maybe some lemon could be added to that icing to add tang and take away some of the blueberries' sweetness. He smiled at the thought of all the food he now had access to and watched Arthur sleep. He was snoring slightly, despite his revelation that people snoring was in his top 5 list of hates. Arthur then rolled over slightly and hit his hand on the bedside table, jerking awake and looking around wildly. "He attacked me…" "Who? The table?" Merlin couldn't help but smirk at Arthur who looked indignant and insisted that the table had been moved by seismic activity and that Merlin just didn't feel it.

"Anyway Merlin, I am sorry but I have a really important meeting at work today so I was thinking of dropping you off with Morgana for the day, I will be back by 7." Merlin looked uncertain but gave a small nod, he always put Arthur first. "That's great, I will let her know." Arthur left the room and held a staged conversation with Morgana and smiled at Merlin, giving him the thumbs up. "I will drive you round after breakfast." Merlin nodded once again and got out of bed, grabbing some clothes and changing in the bathroom after giving Arthur a gentle kiss on the lips. Arthur in the meantime also washed and changed into a suit, if Merlin was going to buy his meeting story he would have to be convincing. Merlin bumped into Arthur on the way downstairs and just stared, he looked incredible, the tight shirt hugging his muscular body and the tailored suit making him look taller and powerful. Merlin grinned and whispered; "now I see why girls like men in suits!" Arthur winked and wrapped an arm around Merlin, who was casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, unable to resist another deep kiss. Pulling away, out of breath, they chased each other downstairs, ending up slumped in the dining room, each with toast, very burnt toast as they had been kissing so passionately that they didn't hear the toaster buzz insistently. Eventually it was time to leave and Arthur drove Merlin over to Morgana, it was time for action!

He drove away hastily and parked at the shopping center, driving even more recklessly than normal, which was saying something! He hurried out and ran to the balloon shop, picking up his order and carrying them back to the car, that was one thing out of the way. Next he entered the hardware stall and bought some rollers, large paint brushes as well as pale green and cream paint, he wanted something neutral. Grinning he carried this to the car as well; he would be extremely fit after this. Next was the art shop, Arthur was completely lost in here, he had no artistic talent whatsoever and didn't even know where to start. He headed over to the counter and asked the shop assistant what to get to set up an art studio, coming away with two different sized easels, mixing pallets, 5 sets of paintbrushes of various sizes, a water pot, watercolour paints, oil paints, acrylic paints, pastels, chalks, charcoal, watercolour pencils, sketching pencils, canvases, sketch pads, special rubbers and a few plastic storage boxes. This was all packaged up and placed in a trolley, which he wheeled back to the car. He had already been out for an hour, it was half 10 and he had so much to do! He drove back home at record speed after returning the trolley and entered the spare bedroom. He had also purchased some empty cardboard boxes and he swiftly packed the contents of the shelves, bookcase and windowsill into them. He then unpacked the wardrobe, removing all his old clothes and bedding, packaging them up in yet more boxes. Eventually when the room was cleared he pulled down the ladder to the attic and began to haul up the boxes when the doorbell rang. Arthur grinned, he had rung Percy and Gwaine earlier for extra help and it looked like the cavalry arrived.

Arthur opened the door and grinned, grabbing the men in a bro hug, ushering them upstairs. Percy took the job of hauling the boxes into the attic as he was incredibly muscular and could lift at least three at once. He spent more time at the gym than Arthur and was as solid as a stone. Gwaine was ridiculously handsome with scraggly brown hair, designer stubble and huge brown eyes with long eyelashes, not that Arthur had spent hours starring at Gwaine's features. Arthur had always found the other man attractive, but never loved him. Gwaine was about as straight as they come, chasing after every girl in the vicinity, anything with boobs would do in his eyes. He had never been in a serious relationship but his current girlfriend had lasted three months, a record, and Arthur was begging to wonder if things were getting serious!

Arthur and Gwaine then spent 10 minutes dismantling the IKEA flat pack wardrobe, which was even harder to take apart than put together, which surely should not be possible. Percy then grabbed the pieces and shoved them into the attic as if they were pieces of paper, weightless. He snuck up on the other two, considering his size Percy was incredibly stealthy, and he tackled them to the bed. Arthur laughed struggling futilely but Gwaine said seriously, "now if you wanted to have sex with me that much you could have just asked!" leaning forward and kissing Percy on the cheek grinning. Gwaine was always the joker and knew how to get a reaction out of people. Percy jumped off the bed as if he had received an electric shock and Arthur and Gwaine burst out laughing hysterically, crying, rolling around and clutching the stitches in their sides unable to control themselves. Perceval glared down at them, he knew Gwaine had been joking but the man had taken him by surprise, he would have to plot revenge some other time. He coughed, blushing slightly and flexing his muscles, "don't we have a studio to make?!"

Arthur sobered immediately and the three set to work dismantling the bed, removing the bedside table, taking down the light-shade, removing the curtains and blinds and layering newspaper over the floor to protect it from paint. They each took a wall and began to paint it cream, working together on the green wall afterwards. Two coats on each wall later the boys decided it was time for lunch, it was gone 2 and they were starving. Arthur led them down and they massacred two bread loaves worth of sandwiches, clearing the fridge of ham, cheese, pickle and chicken.

Once satisfied they headed back upstairs, the paint had finally dried and they painted the final coat and then the skirting board. Once the paint had been removed from the room they began to set up a desk with multiple draws that Percival had bought down from the loft. Arthur had intended on using it for his study but never got round to it. They then set up teasels and canvases. Smiling satisfied they sat down to wrap the rest of Merlin's presents, hitting each other round the head with sellotape and having a mini duel and jousting tournament with the rolls of wrapping paper. After all this hilarity they got back to the task in hand, wrapping. Arthur discovered he had a hidden talent, he was a beast at curling ribbons and the corners of the presents were neat and wrapped perfectly. Once the presents were wrapped perfectly with bows and ribbons, despite appearances the other boys seemed to have a feminine, creative side, and the paint was dry they reattached the curtains. They decided to leave off the blinds so more light could enter the room and attached a new, pale green lampshade so Merlin would be able to see what he was painting.

They then began to blow up the balloons with a special helium pack that Arthur had bought on impulse at the balloon store. They then tied the balloons to the desk and easels standing back to see the final effect. The presents had been neatly organised on eth desk and eth boys were feeling rather proud of themselves. Arthur invited them to come to the party, he was sure Merlin wouldn't mind and would get on with the other men brilliantly and he had ordered far too much for just the family and Gaius. Gwaine would certainly ensure there is no food left, despite his small size he ate like a horse, at least double what Percy would consume! They left the room; Arthur locking it up so Merlin would not see it before tomorrow, the big day!

After clearing up Gwaine and Percival left and Arthur changed back into the suit and headed out to collect his boyfriend. When he arrived he decided he deserved some cake and massacred two slices of Victoria sponge, asking Merlin between mouthfuls what they had been up to without him. "Well, I made that cake with Morgana, we set up, served the customers, played a game of chess when no-one was around and then you came!" Arthur nodded at this, it sounded like Merlin had received a much more relaxing day than he had! However it would all be worth it tomorrow, this was going to be the best birthday ever, the best present ever, the best relationship ever! He couldn't wait for Merlin to see his new art studio.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	16. Chapter 16

Nanesantos70, thank you! Balloons are awesome :) Nance, thank you again, yeah I though they deserved a mention. Pigs in blankets sound good. Hi guest, yeah I have already tried and thought I had fixed that but clearly not, sorry :( I will have another go, sorry for the inconvenience! Hope you liked the story anyway.

Chapter 16

Arthur woke up early in the morning, it was 5'Oclock and he was wide awake with anticipation, today was the day! Merlin was lying fast asleep and Arthur wondered whether he even realised it was his birthday, he hadn't mentioned it and clearly did not suspect that Arthur had plans. This proved that Merlin would never have asked for anything so Arthur was glad that he had taken the initiative, he would be damned if Merlin was going to spend another birthday alone or uncelebrated. Arthur very carefully lifted Merlin's limp arm from around his waist and untangled their legs, slipping out of bed silently and tucking Merlin in so he would not be cold. He resisted the temptation of kissing the sleeping boy; he was not going to blow his cover. Arthur pulled on his jeans and crept down the stairs pulling on his favourite shirt as he did so. He then grabbed his cooking apron and began to make a Key Lime pie again, he remembered the recipe from last time and everything went perfectly, it was a miracle! Arthur was careful not to bang the biscuit base too hard and this time used biscuits that were well in date. The filling also went remarkably well, nothing curdled and it tasted amazing.

Once done at around 6 he slipped the pie in the fridge, and began to cook breakfast for Merlin, he had ordered bacon, eggs, tomatoes, potatoes (to make hash browns) and mushrooms online and was well prepared. He put some bread in the toaster and waited, keeping a close eye on the colour, he was not going to burn Merlin's birthday breakfast. He then pulled it out and smothered it in Merlin's favourite jam (blackcurrant) and moved on to the potatoes, grating them and following the recipe on Cooking-For-Dummies until he had a near perfect serving of hash brown. Next were the mushrooms and tomatoes, and finally the bacon, all of which he fried carefully. Arthur then spent 15 minutes plating up and placed the dish in the oven to keep Merlin's food warm. He then made himself a slice of toast with the last piece of bacon, he had saved the rest for Merlin and found his best lap-tray on which he placed a small glass with a red rose, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and his best silver cutlery, smiling at the overall effect. Arthur then began to tidy up the kitchen and plated up all of the dishes which he had ordered including sausages, beef, lamb, chicken, pasta, pizza, Melanzane Parmigiana, an aubergine dish with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, garlic and onions, hoping that it tasted nice, he had never eaten an aubergine and thought that Merlin would appreciate the reference.

He sat down on a stall and bobbed his leg impatiently, the guests were coming at 12 and even after cooking slowly and eating his own breakfast it was only 8. At 9 Arthur finally gave up waiting, he had to get Merlin up soon before he burst with excitement. He grabbed the plate from the oven, quickly checking that everything was still hot and placed it on the tray, which he carefully carried upstairs. Merlin was sprawled out on the bed, all four limbs spread out comically and Arthur smiled, life was perfect. He place the tray on the bedside table closest to him and knelt down on the bed next to Merlin, leaning in and kissing his lover on the lips. Merlin let out a sleepy moan and began to kiss Arthur back, blinking blearily and looking slightly confused. Something smelt amazing. Arthur broke their kiss of and exclaimed "Happy Birthday Merlin!" Merlin looked extremely confused but let a small smile adorn his face. "How did you know?" "It said on your medical form at the hospital, I have a few surprises up my sleeve." Merlin beamed and wrapped his arms tightly around Arthur, nuzzling into his neck and kissing him gently. Arthur responded, groaning in pleasure and wrapping his arms around Merlin's neck and waist, interlocking a hand in his messy locks. "I made you breakfast" Arthur explained softly and Merlin pulled back and sat up properly as Arthur passed him the beautiful tray of food. He felt a lump rise in his throat and swallowed desperately, he would not cry, not today. He blinked the tears in his eyes away furiously, this was the nicest thing anyone had done for him and he was overwhelmed. "Thank you so much Arthur, I love you so much." "I love you more Merlin" Arthur responded immediately and passionately, this was just breakfast and Merlin looked like the happiest man alive. Arthur watched with baited breath as Merlin took a bite out of the toast, and then moved onto the bacon and mushrooms, uncertain where to start. Once the mushrooms were gone he ate the tomatoes and turned his attention back to the bacon and toast, savouring every mouthful and beaming at Arthur, shooting him ecstatic glances.

Once Merlin had finished he snuggled into Arthur, pulling him back into the bed and kissing him passionately once again, unable to control himself. Arthur decided that if this was the reaction he would get he would make Merlin cooked breakfast every day! They made out passionately until Arthur once again broke the kiss, "Anyway lazybum, you need to get up and dressed." Merlin looked slightly confused by Arthur's sudden urgency and Arthur motioned at the clock. "It is half twelve and the others are coming at one." "Others? What others?" "Well, you didn't think that you were going to get away with having a birthday without a party." Merlin grinned realising that Morgana and the children were probably going to come over and Arthur confirmed this, "I invited Morgana, Gwen, George, Gaius, Percy and Gwaine. You don't know Percy and Gwaine but I am sure you will get along and all will be revealed later." Merlin pondered the last part, what else could Arthur have planned that had to be "revealed?"

Merlin quickly hopped into the shower, washed and dressed in 25 minutes, 5 to spare! He was panting slightly, running a towel through his hair and hopelessly trying to flatten his messy locks, it was no good, his hair had a mind of its own! He continued attempting until the doorbell rang, Arthur moving past him to get the door, ruffling Merlin's hair up even more when he passed. Merlin couldn't help but laugh, "Prat!" Arthur just turned, winked and opened the door, met with a two hugs from Gwen and George and a smile from Morgana. "Happy Birthday Merlin!" Both the children had bound up to him and now that Merlin was free from crutches he scooped them both up into a bear hug, spinning them around until they were laughing hysterically. Morgana rushed forward, dumping four plastic carrier bags in Arthur's outstretched hands and hugged Merlin, kissing him on the cheek cheerfully. "How are you Merlin?" Merlin grinned, he had never been better and even allowed Morgana to flatten his hair slightly, although it was still sticking up at impossible angles.

The reunion was interrupted by a slightly harassed looking Gaius knocking at the door, his hair was slightly matted and the ends were blackened. "What on earth happened to you Gaius?" Merlin immediately noticed Gaius' hair and didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned. "It's a long story my boy, I was powdering some stag beetle and remembered I needed to add paste to the potion first so that it wouldn't be poisonous, it hadn't turned purple yet so all was not lost, so I lent to pick that up and then wham, I lent over the Bunsen burner and here I am! And I ruined the potion, it went green. Green I say!" This time Merlin decided it was safe to laugh and Arthur just snorted. "Anyway, Happy Birthday lad!" Gaius held out a hastily wrapped present with ludicrous amounts of sellotape applied to keep it together. Merlin accepted the gift with a smile; he hadn't received a birthday present for years. "So, let's not stand about in the hallway!" Arthur rushed the group into the living room where everyone sank into sofas, armchairs and in Gwen and Georges case the floor, where Freya was lying, practically begging for attention.

Morgana lent forward and picked up the bags, giving one to Arthur with a pointed look, who took the bag and carried it into the kitchen, whilst pulling presents out of the other three bags. Merlin's eyes widened as she began passing the gifts to him, '_these can't all be for me!_' Once Morgana had finally pulled out the last gift she smiled and said, "it's not much, but I hope you like them." Merlin just nodded dumbfounded, he had no idea what to say and thought his voice might betray his emotions. Arthur re-entered the room and smiled at the look on Merlin's face, he looked in shock! They all began to chat happily as Arthur made tea and coffee, Morgana smiled sadly at Merlin's excited expression, he looked like a child in a sweetshop with his parents bank card, the poor boy clearly hadn't been bought a present in far too long.

They continued chatting, Merlin had decided to wait for Gwaine and Percival to arrive before he opened the presents and jumped slightly when there was a load knock at the door. Arthur jumped up grinning, "Hey Percy" he said as he opened the door, "no need to knock the door down! Oh, hey Gwaine, you came together then." Both men entered and were shown to the lounge where they saw and smiled at the children, Arthur's sister, Gaius and then at Merlin, who they spotted last. Gwaine went over to Merlin first, who had stood up, and gave him a quick hug, "Hey Merlin, we have heard all about you! You're the one Arthur has been doting over!" Merlin hugged back awkwardly, still not too mad on contact with people he didn't know, but he decided to be polite considering these were Arthur's friends. Percy then walked over and shook Merlin's hand, which was like a doll's in comparison to his own. "Good to meet you. Happy Birthday." Merlin smiled and said, "thank you." Percival then handed the bag he had been carrying to Merlin, there was a thin parcel wrapped in blue inside. "You can't open that until later though." Merlin nodded again, wondering what was going on and accepted the other present being handed to him by Gwaine, "just a little something." Merlin beamed and sat down, adding the presents to the pile on the floor and chatting to the other men; they instantly bonded and ended up talking about the recent football match.

Arthur left the room and beckoned Morgana to follow, and shook his head at Merlin when the boy began to stand up to help. "We are just going to set up dinner, back in five." Merlin sat down in the armchair and Freya managed to escape George and Gwen to sit on his lap, purring contentedly as he automatically began to stroke her behind the ears. Gwaine grinned, "Cute cat, I had a cat when I was a kid, called him Leon cos he looked like a lion." Percy rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, that mad thing, it was completely vicious;" He pointed to a thin scar on his left forearm. Gwaine laughed and said, "He was not vicious, he just thought you were threatening." Percy scowled and Merlin couldn't help but smile at the pair, Gwaine was now chatting to George whilst Gwen was perched on Percival's lap poking his hard muscles and laughing, "you are all hard!" Percival looked rather pleased at this observation and ruffled Gwen's hair affectionately; she was rather cute for a kid!

Arthur re-entered the room announcing that dinner was served, Gwaine immediately jumped up, he didn't have a reputation as being a man with hollow legs for nothing! They all sat down at the table where extra chairs had been added. The head chair had numerous balloons tied to it and there was an envelope on the place mat. Merlin walked over slowly, poking the balloon cheerfully, no-one had ever bought him a balloon before, not even his mother. He picked up the envelope before sitting down and opened the envelope, inside was a beautiful card with two cats on the front with their noses touching, one had tawny, blonde fur and the other had dark brown fur. Inside was a message from Arthur, "Dear Merlin, I love you so much and I didn't know how to put it down in words, you mean more to me than anything else and I want to be with you forever. I hope you have an amazing birthday and a wonderful party. Lots of Love, Arthur xxx" Merlin beamed and hugged Arthur tight, with the card still clutched in his hand and Arthur kissed him deeply, forgetting about their audience. Gwaine wolf-whistled cheerily and yelled, "save it for later," gaining a sharp look from Percival who had nodded towards the children.

However, Gwen and George were far too busy staring at the food to notice. There was not an inch of the table that was not covered in food, it was a feast, and there was enough to feed an army. Merlin sat down slightly flushed and Arthur sat down next to him, "so, help yourself everyone, but leave room for pudding." At once mayhem commenced, everyone shoving piles of food onto their plate, Merlin and Morgana grinned when they saw the Melanzane Parmigiana and each took a portion. Merlin then piled on lamb, beef, pizza and some pasta. Gwaine, Percival and Arthur had a bit of everything, Morgana had some lamb and chicken and Gwen and George both ate pizza, pasta and gammon. Gwaine finished first and began helping himself to second portions, and thirds before the others had even finished their first plates, earning himself a look between despair and amusement from Arthur. Once everyone had eaten their fill Arthur and Morgana began to clear the table and returned with a three plates full of cupcakes. Everyone tucked into the cupcakes, Merlin demolishing a apple, coffee, vanilla and chocolate cupcake, he had no idea how he had eaten so much but everything tasted so good that he couldn't help but shovel more down. Arthur then cut up the Key Lime pie, Merlin's favourite and everyone tucked in to the pie, letting out groans of pleasure, it was amazing! Then Arthur exclaimed, "It's time for the piece de resistance " Morgana blushed slightly and stood up walking out of the room and into the kitchen and Arthur dimming the lights. When they heard Morgana down the hallway the entire table burst into song, "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Merlin, Happy Birthday to you!" Morgana had entered with a huge cake covered with 19 birthday candles. She set it down carefully in front of Merlin, who wiped away the stubborn tears which had insisted on cascading down his cheeks. Morgana squeezed his shoulder gently and reminded him to make a wish. Merlin closed his eyes and blew out the candles, he hadn't needed to think hard about his wish, he didn't want money, he didn't want to live forever, and there was only one thing he wanted. _'I wish that Arthur will always be happy'_

Gwaine and Percival looked at each other, saddened by the boy's tears. They didn't know much about Merlin's story but Arthur had explained how they met and that Merlin had experienced a difficult childhood and had been living on the streets before he saved Morgana and the kids from the fire. They had never seen Arthur so happy as he was with the boy and hoped that for both their sakes the boys would stay together. Merlin took a while to stare at the cake; it was covered in a thin layer of white frosting with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top. He couldn't help but grin at the reference to his dream, Arthur and Morgana had clearly put in a lot of effort. He grinned at them both and said, "thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me." Morgana shot him a bright smile and Arthur smiled, glad that Merlin had appreciated his idea. Gwaine seemed to have pricked his eats up on sight of the cake and had a dreamy expression on his face, Morgana's cakes were amazing, he swiftly joked "Are you going to cut that or just stare at it?" The table erupted into laughter at the look of longing on Gwaine's face and Merlin began to cut the cake reluctantly, it was so beautiful and he didn't want to ruin it. He dished out all the slices before tucking into his own, it was the best cake he had ever tasted and he closed his eyes, savouring the flavour, demolishing a second slice despite being way too full. Gwaine also had another two slices but the others politely refused, amazed that Gwaine hadn't popped. Merlin beamed at his friends, so far this had been the best birthday ever!

So, next chapter will be present opening time, sorry I didn't get round to it today but my teachers are on a homework-setting spree. Seriously, an English essay, four geography projects, five pages of textiles coursework, my personal statement, filling in UCAS and I still haven't done that chemistry from the other day :S Kill me now!

Hope you enjoyed it!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey, sorry for not uploading yesterday. My teachers are practising synchronised-homework-setting! I don't have time to reply to reviews atm so sorry, I will tomorrow if I have any. Hope you enjoy this, it was all meant to be lovey dovey but a bit of angst wormed its way into my head, I think I am sadistic :S Anyway, the rest of the chapter is all rainbows, ponies, chocolate and flowers so yeah…

Chapter 17

Everyone eventually stood up from the table groggily, they had all eaten far too much and Gaius was beginning to regret his second helping of Melanzane Parmigiana and his fifth slice of beef, although it had tasted amazing. He couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting to the potion he had been making, the smell of his burnt hair having something to do with that fact. When Merlin's sleeve had ridden up Gaius had seen a small sample of all the scars which littered Merlin's body. Ever since the fire Gaius had felt a strange sense of fatherly love for the boy, he was so young and deserved so much more from life. That was why he had spent the last few weeks developing potions, which he would eventually mix with a pre-made cream in an attempt to make a salve which could reduce the appearance of burn marks. This had been his seventeenth attempt so far, but Gaius couldn't help but feel that he was close to a break-through. Yes his previous attempt had ended in a shattered vial or two and the one before had caused his entire office to smell of raspberries (he still hadn't found out how to make that odour go away!) but this last attempt had definitely been close…definitely! Merlin had his eyes closed slightly, still smiling, he didn't think he'd be able to stop if he wanted to. The only one who didn't look like they were going to fast for a week was Gwaine who had began to eat another slice of pizza for good measure.

Arthur led them back into the lounge where they all collapsed into their respective seats and watched Freya hop lightly onto Merlin's lap and rub against his chest. Freya certainly was a loyal cat, despite all the attention from George and Gwen it was clear that she had her own loyalties. Arthur cleared his throat, "how about some presents?" Morgana grinned, "Children, why don't you pass Merlin our presents first!" Gwen and George nodded immediately and passed Merlin two of the 6 presents wrapped in blue paper, Merlin couldn't believe these were all for him, he would have been happy without any presents, actually he would have been happy with just a morning kiss from Arthur! Everything was extremely overwhelming and he noted his hands were shaking ever so slightly. Everyone was staring straight at him, their eyes burning in to his flesh. What if he did something wrong? What if they didn't like him? They were staring at him intently like a cat watching its prey. Merlin tightened his grip on the present in an attempt to prevent the others from noticing his body trembling but Gwaine, Gaius, Percival and Arthur had all seen, Percival looking away to give the boy some privacy. Merlin was clearly uncomfortable and was probably not used to so much attention, given that he had lived on the streets for so long. Gaius also felt like someone was clasping their fist around his heart, the poor boy was overwhelmed and clearly not used to love and friendship. It would take him a long time to fit in and be comfortable around a large group of people being nice to him. Gwaine however just gave Merlin a wide grin and thumbs up and Arthur sank onto the armchair next to him, the seat was only meant for one but since Merlin was so skinny they could both fit with relative ease. Arthur then wrapped his arm around Merlin's slim waist and gave him a tight, reassuring squeeze and peck on the neck.

However, Merlin could feel himself panicking even more, not really understanding why. No, he did understand why. There were too many people. They were going to hurt him, like the gangs of men on the street. They would jump on him and kick him, punch him until his bones broke and he couldn't breath. The same feeling was beginning to come over him that had struck him in the hospital when Arthur had startled him awake. The shaking in his hands and now whole body had become more visible and Morgana had picked up on what was going on. Merlin's breathing was beginning to come in short gasps and his head was spinning. _"Merlin, this is ridiculous, calm down, you were fine a minute ago, we all just had dinner for goodness sake, these people are your friends, they are not going to hurt you, it is ok."_ Merlin stood up, Freya hopping onto the floor bristling indignantly at this ill-treatment. The voice of reason in his head was fading; the walls of the lounge were closing in, the floral pattern on the wallpaper coming in and out of focus. He was vaguely aware of concerned voices somewhere in the distance but couldn't focus on them. He had to get out. Merlin found himself sprinting from the door and ran down the hall, swinging open the front door and running down the street into a side-alley. He doubled over, leaning heavily against the wall with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around his stomach as he began to vomit violently. "_Why did I eat so much? What is wrong with me? Well done Merlin, you have messed up again. The others are going to think you are a right freak."_ Merlin continued to retch and tremble weakly and found himself sinking to the floor and curling up into a ball.

A few moments later he could hear footsteps and screwed his eyes shut tightly, he just wanted to be left alone like the idiot he was. He felt a gentle pair of hands wrap around his torso and lift him up into a sitting position; he was still struggling to breathe and did not have any energy left to push whoever it was. Merlin began to sob heavily into the person's chest, finally realising it was Arthur when his head had cleared slightly. He was beginning to be able to pick out his lover's calm voice, reassuring him in a frightened, concerned tone. Once Merlin was no longer able to sob he just nustled into Arthur, fearing that if he removed his arms from Arthur's waist Arthur would get up and leave him there. He hiccupped miserably and completely relaxed his muscles, sinking further into his lover's warmth. The tightness in his chest was being released and his head hurt less, and now there was another voice, a man, Gaius?

Merlin reluctantly pulled away from Arthur and was sick again, this time feeling one set of hands massaging his back and another firmly rubbing his chest. His throat felt raw and he croaked, "I'm so sorry Arthur. I didn't mean it. I am a rubbish boyfriend. I'm a freak; I can't even deal with people being nice to me. What's wrong with me?" Merlin was sounding more and more childlike and desperate with each sentence and Arthur was incredibly worried, Merlin had always been very emotionally strong, only crying in extreme situations and he had become much stronger both physically and mentally over their time together. Now, Merlin seemed to have regressed. His eyes were wide, face blotchy, a small trickle of vomit escaping down the side of his mouth and his nose was running. Arthur pulled out a tissue from his pocked and wiped Merlin up gently, even more alarmed when the boy flinched from his touch. "It is ok Merlin, you don't need to be sorry, you just panicked, it's my fault, I shouldn't have invited so many people over!" Merlin shook his head gently; it was not Arthur's fault. Merlin uncurled himself and stood up shakily, Gaius taking one side and Arthur the other.

Gaius also began to reassure Merlin that everything was ok, "it's alright my boy, and everything is alright, it is perfectly normal for people to have panic attacks. Everyone deals with stress differently; it is most definitely not your fault, or Arthur's. You will soon become more used to people, it is a learning process, you just need to teach yourself to let go and trust people more. No-one here is going to hurt you, so this party is a great time to practice. Every person here likes you very much and will understand. Let's just go back, you can open your presents and it will be like nothing ever happened. Anyway, now that your stomach is empty you can have the pleasure of filling it with more of Morgana's cake and Arthur's Key Lime pie." Merlin nodded and smiled weakly, now that he had calmed down he was beginning to feel excited and began to wonder what they were. "That's my boy." Arthur squeezed Merlin and helped him back inside, Gaius went into the lounge to explain what had happened, the whole room was silent and everyone looked incredibly worried. "Anyway, just act like nothing happened, he will be ok and just needs to get used to large groups of people. We can all help him with that if we are kind, gentle and understanding." They all nodded, Gwaine looking serious for the first time Percival could recall. In the meantime Arthur had led Merlin to the bathroom, Merlin pulling of his clothes gratefully, he had got sick all down them and the smell was repulsive. Merlin hopped into the bath and showered himself down, using even more shower gel than normal, wrapped a towel around himself and began to brush his teeth with extra toothbrush, flossing and then using mouthwash to be on the safe side. Arthur had left the room with Merlin's clothes, shoving them into the washing machine and heading back upstairs to fetch Merlin something clean to wear. The smell of sick had made him be sick and normally he threw up if he saw someone else be sick, but had willed himself to be strong for Merlin's sake. Merlin changed gratefully and walked back downstairs into the lounge with Arthur close behind him. He sank back into the chair, head down and his cheeks and the tips of his ears flushing crimson. The others just smiled at him gently and Freya leapt back on to his lap, maybe she had been listening in on Gaius' explanation and had decided to forgive Merlin for knocking her off earlier. Merlin rubbed her ears and gave a small smile as Arthur joined him on the sofa once again, offering Merlin the present which he had previously dropped.

Morgana smiled, "I hope you like it." They all decided not to mention what had happened and Merlin was incredibly grateful. He began to unwrap the present and gasped when he saw a beautiful new neckerchief, it was a deep emerald green in the same design as his other. "I made it myself!" Morgana looked rather proud, an expression identical to Arthur's look of pride after cooking something well. Merlin grinned and immediately put the scarf on. "Thank you so much! It is beautiful, I love it." Gwen and George then decided it was time for their presents to be opened, George's turned out to be a painted wooden storage box which he had decorated and had filled with homemade fudge which he had made with Morgana. Gwen's was a mug which she had clearly also hand-painted. On it was Merlin's name in big bubble writing surrounded by stars, flowers and hearts. Merlin felt a small lump rise in his throat once again and he gave the children a huge hug, telling them that the gifts were beautiful and that he would keep them forever. He then unwrapped a new sweater and the entire Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin, Merlin had mentioned that Rankin was his favourite author when he stayed at the café during Arthur's panicked party preparation. Merlin got up, stifling the voices in head and hugged Morgana tightly, he could feel her warm breath against his neck and decided that it was a nice feeling, not at all frightening. Morgana had been slightly surprised by the hug considering Merlin's previous fear but hugged him back gently, rubbing his back affectionately and mussing his still-damp hair. Merlin pulled away and grinned, settling back down next to Arthur beaming. Gaius then picked up his package and handed it to Merlin, who smiled and began to remove the paper with great difficulty due to all the sellotape. Once he finally got in he saw a book, it was called 'A Streetcat Named Bob.' Merlin read the blurb and grinned, it sounded just like him and Freya and he gave Gaius a slightly awkward hug, breathing in the smell of raspberries and burning, which was not so repulsive once you got used to it! Last, but not least he opened Gwaine's present, which turned out to be a large photo frame with a ridiculously unflattering photo of Arthur inside, on which he had drawn a crown, moustache and devil horns with a speech bubble saying, "You got yourself a good catch!" Merlin burst out laughing, shielding the gift from Arthur's view and showing it to everyone else who smirked. "Feel free to change the picture; I just wanted to put something in it instead of a kid eating an ice-cream, which is what it came with!" Merlin shook his head still sniggering, "Nope, it is perfect." Arthur finally wrestled the frame out of Merlin's hands and grinned sexily, "Yes, I am indeed a catch and the king of sexy! Very artistic Gwaine."

Arthur then stood up with a wide grin on his face, "talking of which, I think it is time for Gwaine, Percival and my main present." Merlin looked confused, there was more? Arthur took his hand and told him to close his eyes, which Merlin did, putting all his trust in Arthur. He allowed himself to be guided up the stairs and heard a key turn in a lock. He was then nudged forward and told to open his eyes. When he did he just blinked dumbfounded. He swayed slightly and Arthur held on to him tightly. Merlin didn't know what to say. He couldn't have said anything if he had tried. The spare bedroom had been turned into an art studio. The walls had been painted, the blinds removed, there was a new desk and art easels. Merlin gaped, finally finding his voice, "so, you weren't at a meeting the other day?" Arthur laughed and shook his head and pointed to the desk, which was covered with presents and balloons. Merlin just grinned, turned around and flung his arms around Arthur, the present he desired over anything else. They kissed passionately, desperately, forgetting about everything else and Merlin felt like he would burst with happiness. Even Gwaine did not have the heart to break the silence or romantic situation. Morgana's eyes had glazed over at the romantic scene and Gaius and Percival grinned at each other in the doorway. Gwen and George were also quiet, sensing that they should not talk. When they eventually stopped kissing Arthur said, "So, are you going to open the presents or just stare at them?"

Merlin nodded, opening each present one by one, each time grinning more than before, he had his own paints, pencils, sketchpads, everything he could ever dream of. He turned back to Arthur and hugged him tightly, completely speechless. "I take it you like them?" Merlin just nodded and picked up a paintbrush, running it through his long fingers. Percival then handed Merlin his present, which turned out to be a painting apron with a cat on the front. Arthur had mentioned how Merlin loved cats when they were painting the room and saw it in the local shop when passing. He personally thought it was a tad girly but Merlin loved it, beaming even wider and giving Percy a hug.

They all trundled downstairs eventually, Merlin practically skipping and began to play Who? What? Where? This was definitely going to become a ritual. They chose out the most ridiculous cards for each other. Gaius was a fairy, Gwaine a hamster, Percy a ballerina, Morgana Mount. Everest, Arthur a teapot, George a sumo-wrestler, Gwen was London and Merlin was a carrot. As per usual Arthur came last and half-heartedly accused the others of cheating, or giving him a hard card. Seven rounds later Arthur finally gave up, he had lost all the times except one where he had come second to last after Gaius, who didn't know what an x-box was. Merlin had won 3 games, Morgana 1, Percy 2, Gwen 1 and Gwaine 1.

Everyone was now very tired from all the excitement, it was gone 12 and the children were sagging. Morgana sighed and reluctantly said she should go, hugging everyone in turn, lingering on Merlin, telling him that she hoped he had a brilliant birthday and had liked the cake and presents. Merlin assured her that this had been the best day of his life and hugged both the children. Gaius was the next to leave, waving cheerfully and humming happy birthday to himself as he left. Gwaine and Percy also hugged Merlin cautiously and left grinning. Arthur and Merlin were now left alone in the hallway and dragged themselves up the stairs. They pulled on pyjamas quickly and lay in bed kissing and hugging each other close until Merlin stopped moving his tongue, he had fallen asleep with a smile spread across his face, wrapped in Arthur's arms, where he belonged. Arthur was also grinning, today had been brilliant, Merlin had really enjoyed himself and seemed to have knocked down some mental barriers after his episode, even hugging the others goodbye. He had loved the new art studio and Arthur could tell that he wanted nothing more than to spend tomorrow in there. He sank down into the pillows and stroked Merlin's hair gently until he to fell asleep.

Hope you liked it!


	18. Chapter 18

Ugh I had to write this twice, my computer is dead so I am currently on the laptop :( greyember13, tank you for the comment on chapter 16, I am glad I made you smile! Nance, thank you, you definitely sound like my kind of cook! Nanesantos70 thank you, I am glad you love the story, and Gwaine's gift made me laugh too, I was trying to get into his mind and it just seemed like something he would do! Haha Nanesantos70 I actually love you so much right now! Your reviews make me so happy; the wish bought a lump to my throat when I was writing it! I am glad that people appreciate my random daydreams. Also, Guest, thank you! Hope you all enjoy this…

Chapter 18

Merlin and Arthur stirred at the same time, Arthur switching off the nightlight and wrapping his arms tightly around Merlin, who had buried his face back in the pillow in an attempt of going back to sleep. Arthur however had other ideas and kissing Merlin, nibbling his neck slightly leaving behind small love-bites. Merlin moaned, torn between wanting to go back to sleep and desire for Arthur. Of course, he decided on Arthur and he rolled over so that he was lying on top of his boyfriend, deepening their kiss and staring into Arthur's wide eyes. Arthur was beaming but did not allow Merlin to be dominant for long, rolling him over and pressing himself over the boy, his kisses becoming more desperate and demanding. When they finally pulled away panting Merlin was wide awake, so slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom where he washed and got dressed. Arthur just lay in bed, amazed by his luck at finding such a wonderful boyfriend. When he returned Merlin grinned down at Arthur who still hadn't moved and jumped back on to the bed, tickling Arthur rendering him incapable of struggle. That was revenge for the other day! Arthur finally managed to pull away bright red and clutching his side and lunged for Merlin, tickling him even more ferociously and without mercy until the boy stopped struggling and just laughed. Arthur had one the tickle fight once again, despite their age the boys decided it was never to late for a tickle fight, it was like a battle of will and pride!

They headed downstairs, Merlin insisting that he would have won if he weighed more and Arthur shaking his head still laughing at Merlin's extremely ruffled hair and indignant expression. Merlin really did need to put on more weight though, and Arthur set about making toast whilst Merlin fried some bacon, they made a good team. Both lads were too impatient to go to the dining room so sat on the kitchen stalls and ate. The dining room was still covered in mess from yesterday and neither felt like tackling it yet. Merlin's thoughts kept flitting back to his art studio upstairs, he really wanted to spend some time in there, but didn't know if Arthur had any plans, and besides he should help tidy up first. Arthur interrupted his thoughts, "So, I was thinking, do you want to go out to the park, the weather is lovely and you can bring some of your new art kit." Merlin beamed, that sounded like a wonderful idea, so he hurried upstairs after washing the breakfast plates and returned downstairs with one of his sketchbooks, a set of black pencils, the foldable easel, a mixing tray and his watercolour paints. He was also tempted to bring down his oil paints but couldn't carry any more and probably wouldn't have time to use them all. Meantime, Arthur had cleared the dining room table and packaged up the leftover food in a picnic basket, wondering how on earth they had made so much mess. As soon as he packed in the last few slices of pizza he was startled by the letterbox clinking. He never received mail; anyone who wanted to contact him just sent him a text or Facebook message. He walked down the corridor slowly, lugging the picnic basket behind him and saw an official looking letter. It was addressed to Merlin, who was currently making his second trip after deciding he could not carry everything down at once. "Here, the letter is for you." Merlin, confused took the proffered letter and read it, his eyes widening slightly,

"Dear Merlin Emrys,

It is our pleasure to announce that after a nomination from the London Fire Brigade you have been awarded with 'The Fire Fighters Charity Public Adult Hero' award. This award recognises your great display of bravery when confronted with a fire and rescue situation and for carrying out a courageous act of humanity. You saved the life of a woman and her two children, despite the personal risk to yourself, an act of true courage for which you will receive £1000.

Yours truly,

The London Fire Association"

Merlin gaped at the letter until Arthur pulled it out of his hand to see what on earth was going on and after skimming it he grinned, "Looks like we need to make you a bank account!" Merlin nodded dumbfounded and helped Arthur carry the picnic basket to the car, £1000, what would he do with £1000? They both continued out the door, loading up the car in two trips each and set off to the local park, where they set up a picnic blanket by the pond. Arthur took of his shirt, revealing his muscular body and lay down in the sun in attempt to tan his already bronze skin. He had bought along his book, but seemed far more intent on watching what Merlin was up to. Merlin was pulling out his sketchpad and had already begun to sketch out the nearby tree, deciding that he would get some practise before tackling the pond itself. His hand was rushing across the page, slowing occasionally when he was adding in the intricate patterns of the bark and replicating the exact shape of each leaf. Once the tree was fully sketched out Merlin turned his attention to the surrounding ground, and he began to pencil in the small clumps of fungi, bluebells and the baby sparrow which was currently hopping around in search of a worm. Merlin was in a world of his own and didn't notice when Arthur sat up and watched him drawing. Arthur was completely outstanded by the detail; if he hadn't of known better he would have said that the drawing was a black and white photo! Once Merlin finally seemed satisfied and had rested his pencil on the floor Arthur kissed the back of his neck gently, making the boy jump. "It is beautiful! Almost as beautiful as my boyfriend, but not quite!" Merlin blushed at the compliment and lent backwards so his back was pressed against Arthur's chest. Arthur wrapped his arms tightly around the boy's waist and laughed when he saw the state of Merlin's hands, his fingers were black from where he had expertly blended and smudged the lines to create a more realistic effect and the clouds. Merlin noticed the state of his hands and ran his fingers along Arthur's jaw line, leaving behind a trail of grey, which he then began to kiss gently.

Merlin then set up his art easel with the help of Arthur and placed his sketchpad on it, so that he was using the second page. Once again he zoned out from the rest of reality and sketched out the pond, ducks, vegetation, clouds and the young family sitting in front of the pond, who were helping their child play with her rainbow coloured kite. Merlin captured the young girl's flying hair, the father's proud glint in his eyes as he hugged his beaming wife and watched his child closely. Merlin then pulled out his paints and laid them out on the easel's shelf, beginning to sketch out the scene in front of him. He captured the young girl's flyaway hair, the proud glint in her father's eyes, her mothers arms wrapped tightly around her husband with a smile spread across her face. He perfected the girl's bright kite, the ripples in the water caused by the ducks, the lush vegetation. He then began to add in paint and colour, mixing shades that Arthur would have never picked out from the scene, but were clearly visible once Merlin had added them in to his painting. Everything Merlin did left behind left behind a trail of beauty and Arthur watched astonished as Merlin's painting became full of life, beauty and love. It was clear that he had placed his heart and soul in the paints. Once Merlin finally was satisfied with the reflections in the pond he looked up and realised that the young family had packed their bags and had begun to walk towards them and the car park. The little girl had run over towards Merlin, who looked up and gave a small smile. "Vianne, no honey come back, don't disturb the young man," the mother looked rather harried and began to apologise profusely for the interruption, "Don't worry, it is ok, I don't mind, you can look if you want." The little girl stuck her tongue out at her mother, "See…Oh wow look mum he painted us…look at my kite and the ducks." The girl's mother and father walked closer and gasped when they saw the painting, it truly was spectacular. "Oh you sweetheart you made me look so thin and beautiful!" Merlin shook his head slightly, "nope, you are completely in proportion this is to scale, and if you don't mind me saying so you are beautiful, this is not artistic licence." "Of course it isn't the lad captured by ravishing good looks perfectly," the little girl's father was laughing at his own wit and Merlin and the man's wife exchanged looks and smiled weakly. "So, are you a professional painter?" "No, if only, this is my first time using watercolours, Arthur bought them for me yesterday so I am giving them a try." The husband looked impressed, "you clearly have a natural gift, good luck with it." Arthur smiled when the family left, "I told you that you are amazing! Anyway, are you hungry?" Merlin nodded and looked at his watch, it was 3 O'clock, time flies!

Arthur and Merlin quickly stuffed themselves with sandwiches filled with the leftover meat from the party, pizza slices and cupcakes until they were both full, washing it all down with a thermos of hot chocolate. The sun was still shining and Arthur was drowsy, the perfect temperature for sleeping, not that he would fall asleep, just rest his eyes a bit. He laid back down and soon dozed off, twitching. Merlin tried to concentrate on drawing the cluster of blue-bells next to them but found his eyes continually gravitating towards Arthur's muscular body, his toned chest and abs, his fluttering eyelids, his long gold eyelashes, his strong arms. Merlin couldn't help it, he had to draw Arthur. He flipped the page of his sketchbook over, he would finish the bluebells another day. Satisfied with his angle he pulled out his pencils and began to sketch the lines of Arthur's body, capturing his torso, arms, full lips and the creases of his jeans, the sparkle of his belt buckle and even the splatters of mud on his trainers. He spent the next couple of hours shading and perfecting the drawing, Arthur was perfect; therefore the drawing had to be perfect as well! Merlin was ecstatic with the drawing, in his opinion it was the most beautiful thing he had ever done, purely due to the subject matter. He put down the sketchbook and smiled happily, packing up his equipment and placing it in the now empty picnic hamper. He then laid himself down so that he was facing Arthur, feeling his lovers warm breath against his cheek and focussing on every feature of his face and the way his lips moved as he slept. Merlin was definitely in heaven! He jumped slightly when Arthur's eyes fluttered open, "Hey sleepyhead…" "I was not sleeping…" "yeah right…" "I was just closing my eyes…" "what for over two hours?..." "Um…" Merlin just laughed at Arthur's denial and they got up, now ready to leave.

They carried the picnic basket and easel to the car with relative ease, it was a much lighter load after all they had eaten and they began to drive home. Arthur put on the radio and both boys ended up singing along to All Time Low, The Killers and The XX. As soon as they arrived home Merlin began to cook a tomato sauce whilst Arthur tackled some pasta, they made a good team and soon collapsed onto the sofa watching Total Wipeout. Arthur scooped up Merlin's sketchbook and looked at what he had done, drawing in the detail of the tree, the beauty of the pond, the perfect outline of the bluebells and then… It was him, the most beautiful drawing of the book, Merlin must have spent hours on it. Arthur could pick out every single detail of his own body clearer than if he had been looking in a mirror. He saw how Merlin had even included the single freckle on his left shoulder-blade and the small scar along his chest from when he had experienced a disagreement with a wheelie-bin. Of course he had told everyone that he had been attacked by a vicious dog with rabies, which sounded far more impressive!

They soon went to bed, Arthur switching on the nightlight for Merlin and they curled up in each others. Within minutes Merlin fell asleep and Arthur watched his chest rise and fall regularly, smiling when he noted that his ribs were now less visible and his stomach was no longer hollow but flat. His arms had also bulked out a bit and his legs no longer looked like sticks. The scars however were still incredibly visible, standing out against Merlin's milk-white skin. Arthur didn't mind the scars at all but knew that despite Merlin's increasing confidence the boy still minded and refused to wear a short sleeved T-shirt in front of anyone but him without a jacket. Arthur would soon sort that out, the more time he spent with Morgana, the children, himself, Gwaine, Gaius and Percival the better. Arthur smiled contently; Freya had hopped up and had curled into the small of Merlin's back. Arthur wrapped his arms tighter around Merlin, flicked some hair out of the boy's eyes and kissed him gently on his back before falling fast asleep.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	19. Second Attempt Just In Case

Ugh I had to write this twice, my computer is dead so I am currently on the laptop :( greyember13, tank you for the comment on chapter 16, I am glad I made you smile! Nance, thank you, you definitely sound like my kind of cook! Nanesantos70 thank you, I am glad you love the story, and Gwaine's gift made me laugh too, I was trying to get into his mind and it just seemed like something he would do! Haha Nanesantos70 I actually love you so much right now! Your reviews make me so happy; the wish bought a lump to my throat when I was writing it! I am glad that people appreciate my random daydreams. Also, Guest, thank you! Hope you all enjoy this…

Chapter 18

Merlin and Arthur stirred at the same time, Arthur switching off the nightlight and wrapping his arms tightly around Merlin, who had buried his face back in the pillow in an attempt of going back to sleep. Arthur however had other ideas and kissing Merlin, nibbling his neck slightly leaving behind small love-bites. Merlin moaned, torn between wanting to go back to sleep and desire for Arthur. Of course, he decided on Arthur and he rolled over so that he was lying on top of his boyfriend, deepening their kiss and staring into Arthur's wide eyes. Arthur was beaming but did not allow Merlin to be dominant for long, rolling him over and pressing himself over the boy, his kisses becoming more desperate and demanding. When they finally pulled away panting Merlin was wide awake, so slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom where he washed and got dressed. Arthur just lay in bed, amazed by his luck at finding such a wonderful boyfriend. When he returned Merlin grinned down at Arthur who still hadn't moved and jumped back on to the bed, tickling Arthur rendering him incapable of struggle. That was revenge for the other day! Arthur finally managed to pull away bright red and clutching his side and lunged for Merlin, tickling him even more ferociously and without mercy until the boy stopped struggling and just laughed. Arthur had one the tickle fight once again, despite their age the boys decided it was never to late for a tickle fight, it was like a battle of will and pride!

They headed downstairs, Merlin insisting that he would have won if he weighed more and Arthur shaking his head still laughing at Merlin's extremely ruffled hair and indignant expression. Merlin really did need to put on more weight though, and Arthur set about making toast whilst Merlin fried some bacon, they made a good team. Both lads were too impatient to go to the dining room so sat on the kitchen stalls and ate. The dining room was still covered in mess from yesterday and neither felt like tackling it yet. Merlin's thoughts kept flitting back to his art studio upstairs, he really wanted to spend some time in there, but didn't know if Arthur had any plans, and besides he should help tidy up first. Arthur interrupted his thoughts, "So, I was thinking, do you want to go out to the park, the weather is lovely and you can bring some of your new art kit." Merlin beamed, that sounded like a wonderful idea, so he hurried upstairs after washing the breakfast plates and returned downstairs with one of his sketchbooks, a set of black pencils, the foldable easel, a mixing tray and his watercolour paints. He was also tempted to bring down his oil paints but couldn't carry any more and probably wouldn't have time to use them all. Meantime, Arthur had cleared the dining room table and packaged up the leftover food in a picnic basket, wondering how on earth they had made so much mess. As soon as he packed in the last few slices of pizza he was startled by the letterbox clinking. He never received mail; anyone who wanted to contact him just sent him a text or Facebook message. He walked down the corridor slowly, lugging the picnic basket behind him and saw an official looking letter. It was addressed to Merlin, who was currently making his second trip after deciding he could not carry everything down at once. "Here, the letter is for you." Merlin, confused took the proffered letter and read it, his eyes widening slightly,

"Dear Merlin Emrys,

It is our pleasure to announce that after a nomination from the London Fire Brigade you have been awarded with 'The Fire Fighters Charity Public Adult Hero' award. This award recognises your great display of bravery when confronted with a fire and rescue situation and for carrying out a courageous act of humanity. You saved the life of a woman and her two children, despite the personal risk to yourself, an act of true courage for which you will receive £1000.

Yours truly,

The London Fire Association"

Merlin gaped at the letter until Arthur pulled it out of his hand to see what on earth was going on and after skimming it he grinned, "Looks like we need to make you a bank account!" Merlin nodded dumbfounded and helped Arthur carry the picnic basket to the car, £1000, what would he do with £1000? They both continued out the door, loading up the car in two trips each and set off to the local park, where they set up a picnic blanket by the pond. Arthur took of his shirt, revealing his muscular body and lay down in the sun in attempt to tan his already bronze skin. He had bought along his book, but seemed far more intent on watching what Merlin was up to. Merlin was pulling out his sketchpad and had already begun to sketch out the nearby tree, deciding that he would get some practise before tackling the pond itself. His hand was rushing across the page, slowing occasionally when he was adding in the intricate patterns of the bark and replicating the exact shape of each leaf. Once the tree was fully sketched out Merlin turned his attention to the surrounding ground, and he began to pencil in the small clumps of fungi, bluebells and the baby sparrow which was currently hopping around in search of a worm. Merlin was in a world of his own and didn't notice when Arthur sat up and watched him drawing. Arthur was completely outstanded by the detail; if he hadn't of known better he would have said that the drawing was a black and white photo! Once Merlin finally seemed satisfied and had rested his pencil on the floor Arthur kissed the back of his neck gently, making the boy jump. "It is beautiful! Almost as beautiful as my boyfriend, but not quite!" Merlin blushed at the compliment and lent backwards so his back was pressed against Arthur's chest. Arthur wrapped his arms tightly around the boy's waist and laughed when he saw the state of Merlin's hands, his fingers were black from where he had expertly blended and smudged the lines to create a more realistic effect and the clouds. Merlin noticed the state of his hands and ran his fingers along Arthur's jaw line, leaving behind a trail of grey, which he then began to kiss gently.

Merlin then set up his art easel with the help of Arthur and placed his sketchpad on it, so that he was using the second page. Once again he zoned out from the rest of reality and sketched out the pond, ducks, vegetation, clouds and the young family sitting in front of the pond, who were helping their child play with her rainbow coloured kite. Merlin captured the young girl's flying hair, the father's proud glint in his eyes as he hugged his beaming wife and watched his child closely. Merlin then pulled out his paints and laid them out on the easel's shelf, beginning to sketch out the scene in front of him. He captured the young girl's flyaway hair, the proud glint in her father's eyes, her mothers arms wrapped tightly around her husband with a smile spread across her face. He perfected the girl's bright kite, the ripples in the water caused by the ducks, the lush vegetation. He then began to add in paint and colour, mixing shades that Arthur would have never picked out from the scene, but were clearly visible once Merlin had added them in to his painting. Everything Merlin did left behind left behind a trail of beauty and Arthur watched astonished as Merlin's painting became full of life, beauty and love. It was clear that he had placed his heart and soul in the paints. Once Merlin finally was satisfied with the reflections in the pond he looked up and realised that the young family had packed their bags and had begun to walk towards them and the car park. The little girl had run over towards Merlin, who looked up and gave a small smile. "Vianne, no honey come back, don't disturb the young man," the mother looked rather harried and began to apologise profusely for the interruption, "Don't worry, it is ok, I don't mind, you can look if you want." The little girl stuck her tongue out at her mother, "See…Oh wow look mum he painted us…look at my kite and the ducks." The girl's mother and father walked closer and gasped when they saw the painting, it truly was spectacular. "Oh you sweetheart you made me look so thin and beautiful!" Merlin shook his head slightly, "nope, you are completely in proportion this is to scale, and if you don't mind me saying so you are beautiful, this is not artistic licence." "Of course it isn't the lad captured by ravishing good looks perfectly," the little girl's father was laughing at his own wit and Merlin and the man's wife exchanged looks and smiled weakly. "So, are you a professional painter?" "No, if only, this is my first time using watercolours, Arthur bought them for me yesterday so I am giving them a try." The husband looked impressed, "you clearly have a natural gift, good luck with it." Arthur smiled when the family left, "I told you that you are amazing! Anyway, are you hungry?" Merlin nodded and looked at his watch, it was 3 O'clock, time flies!

Arthur and Merlin quickly stuffed themselves with sandwiches filled with the leftover meat from the party, pizza slices and cupcakes until they were both full, washing it all down with a thermos of hot chocolate. The sun was still shining and Arthur was drowsy, the perfect temperature for sleeping, not that he would fall asleep, just rest his eyes a bit. He laid back down and soon dozed off, twitching. Merlin tried to concentrate on drawing the cluster of blue-bells next to them but found his eyes continually gravitating towards Arthur's muscular body, his toned chest and abs, his fluttering eyelids, his long gold eyelashes, his strong arms. Merlin couldn't help it, he had to draw Arthur. He flipped the page of his sketchbook over, he would finish the bluebells another day. Satisfied with his angle he pulled out his pencils and began to sketch the lines of Arthur's body, capturing his torso, arms, full lips and the creases of his jeans, the sparkle of his belt buckle and even the splatters of mud on his trainers. He spent the next couple of hours shading and perfecting the drawing, Arthur was perfect; therefore the drawing had to be perfect as well! Merlin was ecstatic with the drawing, in his opinion it was the most beautiful thing he had ever done, purely due to the subject matter. He put down the sketchbook and smiled happily, packing up his equipment and placing it in the now empty picnic hamper. He then laid himself down so that he was facing Arthur, feeling his lovers warm breath against his cheek and focussing on every feature of his face and the way his lips moved as he slept. Merlin was definitely in heaven! He jumped slightly when Arthur's eyes fluttered open, "Hey sleepyhead…" "I was not sleeping…" "yeah right…" "I was just closing my eyes…" "what for over two hours?..." "Um…" Merlin just laughed at Arthur's denial and they got up, now ready to leave.

They carried the picnic basket and easel to the car with relative ease, it was a much lighter load after all they had eaten and they began to drive home. Arthur put on the radio and both boys ended up singing along to All Time Low, The Killers and The XX. As soon as they arrived home Merlin began to cook a tomato sauce whilst Arthur tackled some pasta, they made a good team and soon collapsed onto the sofa watching Total Wipeout. Arthur scooped up Merlin's sketchbook and looked at what he had done, drawing in the detail of the tree, the beauty of the pond, the perfect outline of the bluebells and then… It was him, the most beautiful drawing of the book, Merlin must have spent hours on it. Arthur could pick out every single detail of his own body clearer than if he had been looking in a mirror. He saw how Merlin had even included the single freckle on his left shoulder-blade and the small scar along his chest from when he had experienced a disagreement with a wheelie-bin. Of course he had told everyone that he had been attacked by a vicious dog with rabies, which sounded far more impressive!

They soon went to bed, Arthur switching on the nightlight for Merlin and they curled up in each others. Within minutes Merlin fell asleep and Arthur watched his chest rise and fall regularly, smiling when he noted that his ribs were now less visible and his stomach was no longer hollow but flat. His arms had also bulked out a bit and his legs no longer looked like sticks. The scars however were still incredibly visible, standing out against Merlin's milk-white skin. Arthur didn't mind the scars at all but knew that despite Merlin's increasing confidence the boy still minded and refused to wear a short sleeved T-shirt in front of anyone but him without a jacket. Arthur would soon sort that out, the more time he spent with Morgana, the children, himself, Gwaine, Gaius and Percival the better. Arthur smiled contently; Freya had hopped up and had curled into the small of Merlin's back. Arthur wrapped his arms tighter around Merlin, flicked some hair out of the boy's eyes and kissed him gently on his back before falling fast asleep.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	20. Chapter 19

Hey Nance, yeah my account went a bit funny, when I checked to see how many reviews I got (if any, and yes that is the last thing I do before I fall asleep, usually at around 1 or 2 in the morning but ho hum!) I noticed that it said I hadn't got 18 chapters, I think it is working again now but I uploaded the chapter again just in case, so this is the real chapter 19. I never really thought about the thin paper issue as I based it on my own sketchpad which, once I examined the label closely, was purpose made for watercolours. Before I kind of assumed that they all were :S Me being stupid again! Glad you enjoyed it second time round as well… such a lovely compliment! Hello again greyember13, thank you for the review, I am so glad that I haven't bored you all to death. Anyways, sorry this chapter is short but my free period was cut short…the fire alarm went of (great timing as always). I have some ideas for a couple more chapters but think I will probably stop after there and have pretty much run out of inspiration (*gasps and cries in shame/horror) Anyway, the fun will start next chapter so this was a bit of a build up/filler. (Oh dear I am waffling…) Enjoy!

Chapter 19

The days passed by in a blur, filled with Merlin sketching and painting various aspects of life, the vase of flowers on the kitchen table, Freya curled up on the sofa, Arthur watching television, Freya being stroked by Arthur, the garden and birds on the bird bath, Freya watching the birds on the birdbath! Arthur however was somewhat distracted, he had used up this years leave and would have to start work again tomorrow, and he hadn't had the heart to tell Merlin yet. He sighed and walked over to the boy, he had to tell him. Merlin was hunched over his easel creating a beautiful oil painting and Arthur watched his expert hand flying across the canvas. It was the first time that he had tried his oils and so far Merlin was satisfied with the effect, although there were a few changes that had to be made, his strokes weren't perfect in his eyes and he felt like he was not doing the scene in front of him any justice. Arthur completely disagreed and gasped when he saw Merlin's work of art, he was currently working on one of the flower beds with poppies, roses, bluebells, thistles and various other wildflowers. Arthur had never really been in to gardening but occasionally found find himself ankle deep in mud pulling out weeds and burying seeds, it acted like a sort of anger management and he enjoyed viewing the beauty which he had helped to create. Arthur stole himself and gently placed his hand on Merlin's daughter announcing his presence with a quiet, "Heya," so as not to make the boy jump and ruin his work.

Merlin was far less jumpy now and had been fairly calm the last time they entered the crowded supermarket where Arthur worked, he kept his head down but did not flinch at the loud noises and even smiled and helped a woman reach a can of baked beans from the top shelf. He did however have one quite major set-back when a burly man knocked him into a display of DVD's by accident. The man was extremely well built and looked rather threatening but despite appearances this had clearly been accidental and he was mortified at hurting the boy. The man had immediately apologised and bent down to scoop the crumpled figure up, but Merlin had panicked and scrambled away, beginning to hyperventilate as the world spun around him. Once again irrational thoughts were filling his head uncontrollably, despite his best effors to hush them. '_The man is going to hurt you. He will attack you and then Arthur. You can't escape him._' Merlin blanched at the thoughts and begun to rock his tightly curled body back and forth.

Arthur assured the man that it was alright and that Merlin was just a bit weary of strangers. Percival, who worked alongside Arthur at the supermarket and had taken over most of Arthur's hours hurried over, he had seen the events unwrap in front of him and was incredibly concerned for his friends. Merlin had gone a deathly shade of white and Percy could see him visibly shaking from three aisles away. He put on his best authoritative voice and ordered all the shoppers who were milling about and staring at Merlin to leave the aisle, couldn't they see that the boy was having a panic attack and that the last thing he needed was a load of people hovering over him. Percy had often experienced his little sister getting into similar states and knew just how terrifying it was to have an attack. He never admitted it in order to keep up his tough-guy appearance but he too had suffered from a panic attack when his sister had become lost on a shopping trip when they were younger. Merlin needed all the support he could get, not a load of ignorant people gawking at him.

Arthur was extremely glad for Percy's intervention, he owed him one, and hugged Merlin tight to his chest as the boy shook. At least Merlin was not crying like he usually did during a panic attack. He only let go when Merlin had sorted out his breathing and began to stand up shakily. Arthur also stood up and supported the boy with Percy taking Merlin's other side and helped him into the first aid bay, trying to ignore the stares. Arthur wrapped his arm around Merlin's waist as the first-aider gave him a cold glass of water and instructed him to "inhale and exhale." Percy sat in the visitors' chair looking slightly uncomfortable but wanting to show support in any way he could.

Merlin looked incredibly embarrassed; he had been doing so well and had been trying to fit in with people so hard, just wanting to make Arthur proud. He had been to Morgana's café a few times to help her serve up and had conversed with the customers, slowly building up trust. Arthur saw Merlin's flushed ears and kissed him gently, "it is ok, you are doing really well! You held it together brilliantly, didn't cry or anything." Merlin nodded but mumbled, "Yeah I only fell over and started hyperventilating." Arthur just gave him a squeeze and led him out of the room to continue their shopping, telling Merlin to ignore the concerned stares and assuring him that they could go straight home after they had paid.

Arthur came out of his reverie and cleared his throat, "Um…Merlin, I need to talk to you for a minute." Merlin looked up from his painting and set down his brush immediately concerned by Arthur's tone of voice. "What's wrong?" "Nothing is wrong, it's just that I have to start work again tomorrow because I am out of leave and they will fire me otherwise." Merlin let out a sigh of relief, for a moment he had convinced himself that Arthur was going to dump him, not that his Arthur would ever do anything of the sort. "Ok…" Arthur interrupted, glad that Merlin had taken the news so well, "Um, I was thinking, Morgana was saying that she could do with a hand at the café, and could use a waiter so I can ring her up and ask her to give you the job if you want it. I will check about the pay and hours, but I am sure she will take good care of you and I can pick you up on the way home from the supermarket." Merlin nodded, that sounded like a good idea and anything to help his friend would be brilliant. "That sounds like a good idea!" Arthur grinned at his cleverness and amazing plan and immediately rang Morgana; he could practically hear her smiling down the phone as she announced that Merlin would be perfect for the job. He put down the phone and told Merlin the good news and that Merlin would be starting tomorrow.

They spent the rest of the day curled up next to each other on the sofa with Freya, who had laid her paws protectively over Merlin's arm and was purring cheerfully when two pairs of hands stroked her simultaneously. Arthur had previously not seen himself as a cat person but Freya seemed to be decent for a cat. At least she was no longer scratching or biting him like during their first meeting, in fact she had become more docile and lap-cat-ish instead of like a 'guard cat.' Merlin spent another couple of hours on his painting until 2 O'clock when he decided that he was finished and had lunch with Arthur, after washing the paint off his hands. Arthur asked if he would mind if Gwaine came round for a game of football and Merlin nodded, it would be nice to meet up again and Gwaine, although loud and boisterous was rather docile around Merlin, besides he was a great laugh. Arthur nodded and rang Gwaine, who accepted the offer and made his way round immediately. Soon Gwaine and Arthur were kicking a ball back and forth, constantly asking Merlin if he wanted to join in, but every time Merlin politely refused. He was far more interested in his sketchbook and began to sketch Arthur and Gwaine's half naked, athletic figures in different positions, stretched out to save a goal, leaning over panting, kicking the ball, doing keep-me-ups until the sun began to go down.

Gwaine walked over to Merlin, wondering what the boy had been so intent on sketching, he hadn't moved anything except his hand for hours and looked to be deep in concentration. He immediately asked what Merlin was up to. Merlin blushed slightly but handed his book over to Gwaine who started from the beginning, his mouth hanging open in shock. He didn't have a clue about art but knew enough to see that Merlin was incredibly talented. He couldn't help but be drawn to the sketches of his own frame, his flyaway hair and toned abs laughing as he joked, "Damn I am hot!" Merlin laughed as Arthur pulled a face behind Gwaine's back and shoved him out the way so he could see the sketchbook, once again wondering how Merlin made his drawings so lifelike. Gwaine stayed over for dinner, Fish and Chips from the local takeaway as Arthur couldn't be bothered to cook and they ended up getting emotionally involved in QI, shouting out the answers and arguing about tenuous answers, or who said the correct answer first.

The next day Arthur awoke early and dressed in his uniform whilst Merlin was still sleeping and roused the boy at half seven, "sorry Merlin, but you have to get up now I need to leave in half an hour." Merlin grunted and rolled over, "Murrrm, urg, jus…YAWN…just five more minutes." Arthur grinned, "Afraid not," and he unceremoniously lifted Merlin up and dumped his protesting body onto the edge of the bed. Merlin swore under his breath muttering something about rude awakenings but got up and dressed quickly. He did not want to make Arthur late on his first day back! As soon as Merlin was ready they both hopped in the car, feeding Freya breakfast and driving to Morgana's café, where they knocked loudly on the door.

Morgana unlocked the café beaming at her brother and new employee, she rushed forward and hugged them both. She had been looking forward to receiving a helping-hand around the café, she freshly made the produce from scratch and it could be rather stressful at times. Merlin was the perfect solution, loyal, loving, friendly and he had an extremely attractive face, with prominent cheekbones, long eyelashes and irresistibly floppy hair. He would certainly attract the attention of female (and some male) passers by. If Morgana hadn't known that Merlin was gay and going out with her brother she too would have been very interested. "Hi, how are you doing? Good. Merlin do you want to dump your stuff in the back?" Merlin obliged and went into the back room where he pulled off his jacket so that he was just wearing a long-sleeved top. Meantime, Arthur was talking to Morgana quickly instructing her not to make Merlin get closer to people that he was comfortable with. He also said that if the café got too busy she should let Merlin go outside for a bit, filling her in about the supermarket incident. Morgana let out a concerned sigh, the poor lad, and agreed to keep an eye on him. She knew that Merlin was desperately trying to get used to people and attention but knew that it would take a long time, but she wanted to be sure that she would not patronise the boy. Surely the more she made him speak to customers the better? Merlin re-entered the room and Arthur gave him a tight hug and deep kiss, Morgana pulling a face and leaving the room, giving them some privacy. "So, ring me if you need me or want anything. Morgana has my number but I am sure you will be absolutely fine!" Merlin nodded and gave Arthur a final peck on the cheek before turning his attention to the café, today would definitely be interesting!

Hoped you liked it even though nothing much happened, I promise you hilarity and fun in the next chapter x


	21. Chapter 20

Ha, once again this was meant to be cheerful but a load of **** happened and I am now in an appalling mood so I am letting some frustration out on Merlin…anger really does fuel writing. Thanks for the last review Nance x Sorry for not updating yesterday but it was my Mum's birthday. So yeah, sorry guys hope you don't hate me now :(

Chapter 20

Morgana returned into the room seeing Arthur exiting out the door and Merlin hugging himself awkwardly as if trying to physically hold in his emotions. She hurried over and handed him a shirt with the cafe's logo, it was almost identical to the one she was wearing but designed for men and with long sleeves instead of short. She had bought his uniform the day before in preparation and hurried over to her friend asking her to embroider the logo. She was certainly keen to make Merlin feel at home and comfortable and knew from what Arthur had told her that Merlin was self conscious about his scars and was pleased with herself for remembering and picking the long option. Merlin smiled at the uniform, Morgana had picked him long sleeves. He didn't know if this was deliberate or not and found himself wondering how much Arthur had told his sister but resisted the resentment. Arthur had done it for his own good, Morgana needed to know what she was dealing with and Merlin would have been incredibly uncomfortable wearing a short sleeved top in front of so many strangers. Merlin snapped out of his thoughts with a slight shake of his head, "thanks Morgana, do you mind if I go over there and put it on?" Merlin had beckoned over to the spare room where he had dumped his stuff and Morgana nodded, "Or you can go to the bathroom, it is just through there."

Merlin took the second option and locked the door behind him, stripping off his t-shirt and pulling on his new uniform without looking in the mirror at his body. He still found the scars, both new and old unsightly and tried to avoid looking at them despite Arthur's support. Arthur had assumed that they were all from the burns, only Merlin, Gaius and the nurse knew otherwise. The first time the surgeon and nurse had bandaged him up and tended to his wounds Gaius had questioned the boy about the marks running along his arms and torso, almost certain that he didn't want to hear the answers. However, Merlin had remained stubbornly silent despite the painkillers making him more apathetic and lethargic. Gaius was not blind and had seen the look of sorrow flash across the boy's eyes, the marks were clearly from self-harm but Merlin had no intention of talking about it, so Gaius did not press the matter when he was in such a vulnerable state. Merlin was now even more determined that no one should find out about his past suicide attempts, certainly not Arthur who would panic and be upset. Merlin realised that he had been in the bathroom for ages and quickly unlocked the door and headed out. Morgana looked up and smiled without saying anything, she had assumed that Merlin was trying to calm himself down and didn't want to make him feel awkward.

"So, are you up for some cake-making and decorating?" Merlin nodded in response and followed Morgana into the kitchen, absorbing all the information about her cooking utensils, where they are, what they do and when they are used. She then got him right to work, handing him a hand written recipe with numerous notes in the margins and crossings out. He had been entrusted with making a carrot cake whilst Morgana began to make a courgette cake using a new recipe which she was trying to perfect. He bent his head down and worked non-stop, he wanted to make a good first impression and was terrified that he would do something wrong and disappoint Morgana. Merlin was so absorbed in whisking the ingredients together that he let out a loud yelp of fright when he heard a thunderous crashing sound to his left. He immediately whipped around, uncertain about what he would find and beginning to find his chest tightening in his tell-tale panic attack warning. However the sensation almost instantaneously disappeared at the sight before his eyes. Morgana was lying on the floor surrounded by pots and pans with a mess of cake mix on her lap. She looked incredibly disgruntled and accepted Merlin's hand up, concerned by his pallor and mentally kicking herself for startling the boy. "Are you alright?" Merlin was the first to ask the question, his hands were still trembling slightly but he hid them in his pocket so that Morgana wouldn't notice, but of course she already had. "I am fine, the mix wasn't right anyway, too much oil. Um…are you alright, you look a bit pale, I didn't mean to startle you." Merlin realised that he had not hidden his surprise and fright as well as he had hoped and swallowed, god Morgana would think he was a wuss, "I'm fine, don't worry." Merlin turned back to his carrot cake, shielding his rapidly reddening face. That was when there was another thud; Morgana had slipped on some of the mixture on the floor and was lying in a heap grumbling and muttering profanities. This time Merlin could not resist laughing, for someone so beautiful and seemingly elegant Morgana was rather clumsy in the kitchen. He bent down and helped her up, wiping some of the mix from her cheek and tasting it. He let out a contended sigh, "that tastes really good!" Morgana grinned and spooned out a bit more mixture from the bowl, handing it to Merlin who licked the spoon clean, getting some of the mix on his nose. Now it was time for Morgana to laugh. Merlin grinned at her and grabbed the bowl, sticking his finger in it and running his hand along Morgana's clean cheek, leaving behind a trail of goo. This was definitely war and Morgana retaliated by throwing a wad of grated courgette at Merlin, which led to a full scale food fight and both parties falling to the floor covered in cake mix and laughing hysterically. Morgana finally managed to stop giggling and stood up, walking over to Merlin and pulling grated courgette out from his hair. She hurried upstairs to shower and get changed and Merlin scrubbed himself clean at the bathroom sink, still grinning to himself.

Merlin returned to the kitchen, minus the cake mix and continued with his carrot cake, spooning it into a lined cake-tin and had just finished making the butter-cream by the time Morgana came down in a clean shirt and a different pair of trousers. She went over to check Merlin's icing, and much to Merlin's relief exclaiming that it was wonderful. She instructed Merlin to put the cake in the oven and gave him the recipe for her famous brownies before turning back to her courgette cake. Merlin once again finished first, he was a natural and Morgana couldn't have asked for better. She placed the tray of brownies in the oven and handed Merlin the recipe to her famous Victoria sponge and managed to finally finish her courgette cake and moved on to a coffee and walnut cake. She and Merlin both finished this round of cakes at the same time and they placed them all in the oven. She then made a batch of icing and pulled out her piping kit, demonstrating to Merlin how to pipe flowers, filigree, leaves, roses, daisies and shells on some spare cupcakes. Merlin was a natural, other than when Merlin was trembling or shaking with fright, he had an unnaturally steady hand, and no doubt was why he was so good at painting and drawing. In fact, Morgana had to admit that Merlin had become better than her after just 10 minutes of practising. She really had found a gem, his flowers were exquisite! Once all the cakes were baked and cooled, aka after Merlin and Morgana had enjoyed a well-earned tea break and a game of cards; they headed back into the kitchen and began to decorate the cakes.

Merlin had asked Morgana what she wanted but she told him to go all out and decorate the cake however he wanted. He smiled at this freedom and selected a white batch of buttercream and began to spread the cake in front of him with it, creating a smooth surface with not one air bubble. Morgana was completely distracted by his ability and found herself staring at Merlin's skinny fingers as they clutched a piping bag of lilac icing. Merlin was begging to pipe the outline of an iris. Morgana watched in amazement as the image took shape, the petals perfectly arranged. He was using numerous technical strokes to give the flower a 3D quality and once he had accented the flower with some yellow and white specks Morgana let out a small gasp. The cake was beautiful, better than anything she had ever seen at a cake fete or competition. Merlin turned around to check that Morgana liked his design and saw her looking both amazed and slightly surprised. He gave a small chuckle and asked what she wanted him to do next. Morgana handed him another of their cakes and Merlin began to pipe a beautiful lavender field accented with brightly coloured butterflies, common blues, red admirals, swallowtails and orange tips. Morgana finally dragged her eyes away from Merlin's cake and forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing, piping flowers which looked practically childlike in comparison to Merlin's. It was now 12 O'clock and customers would begin to arrive. Merlin was just finishing off his last cake, a masterpiece of piped swirls and informed him that they needed to go the front of house. However, she took a photograph of the cakes that Merlin had made, she would upload them onto her new website and it seemed a shame to mess them up without some way of remembering them.

They carefully carried the cakes over to the display cabinet and Morgana showed Merlin her order sheets and how to fill them in, Merlin silent and absorbing the information. A short while later an elderly couple walked in. Morgana hurried forward and offered them a table by the window, pulling out chairs for them. Merlin hung back awkwardly, uncertain about what to do. Morgana motioned for him to come over and Merlin did, fiddling with a loose thread in his trousers, Morgana asked the couple what they wanted to eat and drink, showing Merlin the correct way in which to address customers and handed him the order sheet which she had now filled in, one cup of black tea, one cup of coffee with one milk and two sugars, a slice of carrot cake and a slice of Victoria sponge. Merlin followed Morgana over to the counter and made the tea whilst she addressed the coffee, then following her instructions about cutting the cake and the correct quantity to serve. She then told Merlin to carry the drinks over first, his hands had begun to tremble again as he was incredibly nervous, not wanting to mess up. He walked slowly over to the table so that he didn't spill anything and placed down the drinks, smiling at the customers when they thanked him. Morgana gave him a big thumbs-up and handed him the plates of cake which he carried over and placed in front of the elderly couple. As soon as this table was served the door banged open and a rather grumpy looking middle-aged man stormed in barking, "coffee" at the top of his voice. Merlin shied back from the loud noise and Morgana decided to take this customer on. "Milk and sugar" "Of course I want milk and sugar you stupid woman." Morgana flushed and Merlin curled his fists up by his side, how dare he talk to Morgana like that. "Coming right up." The man stomped to the table in the furthermost corner of the room and Morgana asked Merlin to make the coffee, which he did, fumbling slightly. "Why did you let him talk to you like that?" Merlin muttered to her but Morgana just smiled slightly, "It is all business."

Merlin nodded and Morgana asked whether he was up to giving the rude man his drink. Merlin gave a small determined nod and walked over to the table with his head held high, his hands trembling even more violently than before. He steadied his breathing and asked, "would you like a slice of cake with your drink, we have coffee, carrot, courgette, brownies…" Merlin was cut off when the man slammed his fist on the table, causing Merlin to jump back in fright and spill the entire cup of coffee over his hand and legs. The burning pain was instantaneous and far too similar; he was back in the old café and could suddenly hear screams and feel the smoke flooding through his lungs and the flames licking his hand and legs. He felt dizzy and his world began to tilt and spin sickeningly.

Morgana gasped as she saw what happened and hurried forward watching as Merlin fainted, falling to the floor as if in slow motion. She screamed at the customer to get out, ignoring the shocked look on his face. '_Stupid man, what an idiot, does he realise what he has done_?' She knelt down next to Merlin who had gone an even whiter shade than normal and checked his pulse. It was steady and fairly strong and the boy's breathing was fine. She cautiously checked around Merlin's head for blood and was relieved that he had not hit his head hard enough to break the skin. The man had stormed out of the café and the elderly couple had hurried over to Merlin's other side. Morgana shifted Merlin into the recovery position with ease; he was still to light and hurried off to get a couple of cool bowls of water. She took Merlin's hand which was already beginning to blister and dipped it into the bowl. She didn't know what to do about the boy's leg, not wanting to let the burns get worse. She was about to ask the elderly couple to leave so she could take off his trousers when Merlin stirred, letting out a low groan and sitting up slowly with a puzzled expression on his face. He flinched in pain and saw Morgana's face come in to focus, everything hitting him with sudden clarity. He had fainted; once again he had been a failure. He hung his head and grimaced at the throbbing pain in his hand and legs.

"Merlin, come on we need to get you upstairs into the bathroom so we can run your legs under water." Merlin didn't respond verbally but allowed Morgana and the old man to pick him up. He was unsteady on his feet but managed to get up the stairs on his own, wincing with each step and wondering why everything in his life always went wrong. Morgana looked uncertain, "Can you manage?" Honestly Merlin did not think that he could manage but didn't want to humiliate himself further so dragged himself into the bathroom and spent a few desperate minutes trying to unbutton his trousers with his shaking and blistered hands. He couldn't do it and the burning pain was steadily getting worse. Merlin accepted his fate and called for Morgana, who had been waiting outside wondering why she could not hear running water. She quickly assessed Merlin's situation and without a word undid his button and unzipped his fly, gently helping him out of his trousers. She had to force herself not to let out exclamations of pity over the state of his legs. The lines of his bone and muscles were clearly visible and his skin was so pale that his veins looked like trickles of ink running down from his torso. That was without mentioning the horrific scarring which looked like something out of a horror movie, the pale skin was littered with red burn and cut marks and she felt her heart clench. Most of these scars were created by his humanity and compassion when he saved her and her children's lives. Merlin did not say a word and appeared to have shut down completely as some sort of defence mechanism. He allowed Morgana to help him sit in the bathtub, thankfully still wearing his boxers and didn't say a word she held the shower head over the new burn wound. He let out a few small gasps of pain and buried his head in his arms until Morgana gave him a gently tap and told him that he could get out. Merlin obliged and whispered, "I want to go home." Morgana nodded sympathetically and told Merlin she would drive him home, pulling out her spare key to Arthur's house. They drove back in silence, Morgana locking the door of the café behind her and looking sadly over at the beautifully decorated cake. She was not sure what to say and was relieved when they arrived. Merlin practically leapt out of the car and Morgana let him in with the key asking whether he wanted her to stay. Merlin shook his head, mumbles a quiet, "thank you," and knelt down to remove his shoes. Morgana gave him a gentle hug when he stood up and kissed him gently on the cheek before turning and leaving. It was obvious that he wanted to be left alone.

Merlin immediately went upstairs once Morgana had shut the front door and entered his art studio, pulling out his charcoals and beginning to sketching the first face that came to his mind. His mothers. He began to draw the smooth curves of her face, her silky brown hair and her cheekbones, so similar to his. However he couldn't get her eyes right, they were too small, too big, not bright enough. Merlin tried to rub them out but only succeeded in smudging his previous work. He let out a howl of frustration, ripped the page from his sketchbook and screwed it into a tight ball which he then lobbed across the room. He felt tears burn in his eyes and loathing filled his heart. He was so pathetic, he couldn't do anything right. Merlin ran out of the room and into the bathroom, turning on the shower and beginning to scrub at his arms with a flannel so ferociously that when he emerged he was tomato red. He then stormed into the bedroom, pulling on a pair of pyjamas and collapsing into bed and pulling Freya, who had previously been sleeping there, into his arms and hugged her tight. He buried his head in her fur, breathing in her familiar scent and soon fell asleep curled up in a tight ball.

Merlin was so exhausted that he didn't hear Arthur enter the room ten minutes later. Arthur was panting extremely out of breath, Morgana had called him almost in tears and explained what had happened so Arthur asked Percy to cover for him and headed straight home. Arthur was shocked when he saw Merlin, his skin red and slightly bloody in places and he sank into bed next to the boy, still fully clothed. Merlin stirred and realised it was Arthur, so he rolled over and buried his face in the other man's chest and allowed himself to be tightly embraced. "I screwed up again." Merlin sounded half-asleep and Arthur squeezed him tighter, "No you didn't, it wasn't your fault." "Morgana will not want me anymore." "Yes she does." Merlin had nothing left to say so remained silent, not responding and allowing himself to sink back into sleep. Arthur stroked his messy brown hair affectionately and nuzzled his nose into the crook of Merlin's neck and waiting motionless for the boy to wake up again. Things would look up tomorrow, they couldn't get worse.

Hope you liked it. Please review, I need something to cheer me up!


	22. Chapter 21

Hey guys, Thank you for the review greymber13, as always it means a lot. FiYiNgPiGIEts (that was hard to type) thank you so much for the review! I am glad you like the combination of themes (a tad random, but a good way to release my own emotions :S ) Sorry if you hoped for more but, *begins to cry, this is the last chapter, I am out of ideas and I guess real life is creeping up on me. I know this is a poor excuse but yeah, I hope you are not too disappointed. Also, hello again Nance, thank you for the review, you have been a loyal reviewist (yes I am so tired that I am now making up words.) I am glad that you have enjoyed the story!

I hope you enjoy this last instalment! The quotes are from All Time Low's "If These Sheets Were the States" and "Painting Flowers." I do not own them but was listening to them whilst writing this chapter and decided that they fitted in rather well. They are a couple of my favourite songs, so if you don't know them I recommend that you check them out.

Chapter 21

Merlin woke numerous times that night, once when Arthur had come in with a bowl of pasta for him, which he ignored, once when Arthur clambered into bed next to him, three times in a cold sweat after a nightmare and once more at around 5. He realised that he had thrown himself into bed at about 4 in the afternoon but had only had around 4 hours of actual sleep, spending most of the night wide awake with thoughts buzzing around his head battling for attention. Merlin lay perfectly still waiting for the alarm clock to ring and for Arthur wake up, the silence was almost deafening and he found himself glancing repeatedly over to Arthur to check that he was still alive and breathing. Arthur usually stirred when Merlin had a nightmare, but didn't last night, he was clearly tired from a combination of work and worry. Merlin's legs and hand were throbbing painfully and he mentally cursed the prat in the café the yesterday. He had no idea what to do about the café and wondered whether Morgana still wanted him. Merlin hoped that she would still employ him, but he was a bit of a liability and she didn't need more to deal with. Despite everything Merlin genuinely had enjoyed working for her and wondered if she would at least allow him to continue working in the kitchen baking and decorating cakes, even if he was not allowed at the front of house.

Deciding to clear these thoughts from his head Merlin carefully got up and entered his art room, shutting the door carefully behind him so that he would not wake Arthur up. He yawned and wished that he had been able to sleep for longer and began to sketch images of Arthur and singing softly to himself, "I'd kill for one more day, to pool my thoughts, and find the words to say, if these sheets were the states, and you were miles away, I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me." It was one of Merlin's favourite songs and he pondered the lyrics, he didn't have a clue what he would do without Arthur and wondered how he had previously lived without him. Then again, he hadn't really lived without Arthur, yes his heart was beating but that wasn't living, he had just been surviving. "Collisions of a finer love, I'd kill for one more way, to tell you how you make me better every day. If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away, I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me. Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me. I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again." Merlin continued singing softly and didn't notice when Arthur entered the room behind him as he changed to a different song, "When I wake up, the dream isn't done. I wanna see your face, and know I made it home. If nothing is true, what more can I do? I am still painting flowers for you."

Merlin never ceased to amaze, he was a wonderful singer with a soft voice, practically angelic, and Arthur couldn't help but wonder whether Merlin was singing the lyrics for him. He walked over to Merlin and wrapped his arms around his waist gently, making sure to make his footsteps loud to announce his presence. Merlin blushed slightly and wondered how long Arthur had been standing behind him, no-one had ever heard him singing apart from his mother. "Morning beautiful." Merlin gave a tentative smile and turned around in Arthur's grip so they were face to face. Arthur kissed Merlin deeply and Merlin allowed himself to get lost in the sensation, a look of bliss spreading across his features. "So, we had better get ready for work." "We?" "Urr yeah?" "Morgana still wants me!" Merlin's concerned expression immediately dissipated and was replaced by a look of utter relief. "Of course she does, said that you are better cake decorator than her, and trust me Morgana never admits that people are better than her at anything, let alone cakes!" With that Merlin practically skipped out of the room humming and then Arthur heard the shower running.

Merlin winced when the water hit his burnt legs and hand but was grateful that he hadn't burnt his dominant hand, which would have rendered him incapable of even holding a piping bag, let alone using one. He got dressed in his uniform and a pair of smart jeans and went downstairs, Arthur was still in the ensuite showering so Merlin set about making them breakfast one handed. He plated up some toast with honey and blackcurrant jam for himself (on separate slices!) and some Marmite toast for Arthur. Merlin could not see why anyone would like the foul-smelling gunk but as it was Arthur he made the effort. They ate quickly, discussing the vegetable aisle of the supermarket which Arthur had to set up later and Merlin half-joked about how Arthur was put in charge of vegetables when he didn't have a clue about what half of them were. Arthur immediately spun into defensive mode, announcing that he knew plenty about vegetables, "I knew what an aubergine is, what more could people want?" Merlin laughed, "Yams, courgette, artichoke." "Artichoke, what the hell is an artichoke?" "Exactly my point!" Arthur scowled and pouted like a stroppy teenager making Merlin laugh all the harder. Arthur sighed, "Come on, work!" Merlin got up quickly and followed Arthur to the car and driving to Morgana's.

"Morning," Morgana put on her most cheerful expression and gave Merlin a reassuring hug, offering Arthur a smile over Merlin's shoulder and raising her eyebrow questioningly at him. Arthur immediately knew what she was asking; a silent '_is Merlin ok?_' He held his hand out flat and wobbled it slightly, '_so ,so._' Morgana gave a small nod and saw Arthur motion that Merlin was tired, he probably hadn't slept well. Merlin pulled away from the hug and allowed his arms to dangle limply at his sides. "Right, let's get going." Once again Merlin followed Morgana into the café and they set about making different cakes, blueberry and marzipan, toffee-fudge, white chocolate, lemon drizzle, coconut and marble. Merlin took the blueberry and marzipan, lemon and marble cakes leaving Morgana to tackle the toffee-fudge, white chocolate and coconut. They worked at roughly the same pace, Merlin running slightly behind Morgana, although she did have years worth of experience. Morgana then began to teach him how to make royal icing sculptures, Merlin successfully made a rose, pansy and daisy, Morgana wondered whether there was any end to his artistic talents. They continued on with the royal icing, Morgana enlisting Merlin to help her with a pr-ordered children's birthday cake. Merlin took to the task like a duck to water and as Morgana iced the cake Merlin set about meticulously making pigs, cows, a cat, chickens and a couple of horses to fit the farm theme. Each had its own little quirk and expression and was perfectly proportioned and Merlin fiddled with each until they were all prefect. Morgana cut him a cube of cake which he then covered in brown and yellow icing to create a small farmyard. Morgana watched Merlin get even more into his task. He was beginning to make hay bails and Morgana cut out some sugar windows which she placed on Merlin's shed. Once Merlin was done he laid all the pieces onto the cake and once satisfied handed it over to Morgana. It was the best cake she had ever seen and she gave Merlin a proud smile. Merlin grinned at her silent praise and waited for her to announce that the other cakes were cool enough to decorate. Once again Merlin outdid himself and skilfully carried out Morgana's requests.

All too soon it was time for customers to arrive and Merlin couldn't help but feel nervous. The first customer arrived and walked up to the counter, ordering a diet coke and saying "Um, I want a slice of cake, but I don't eat egg." Morgana nodded and pulled out a cake she made last night specifically for people with allergies. "Um this is chocolate…" "I don't eat chocolate…" Morgana shot Merlin an exasperated look and tried not to laugh…"Cherry…vanilla?" The customer continued to refuse and eventually settled with just the coke, '_What is with people these days?_' The customer wandered out of the café mumbling about a poor selection of cakes and Morgana burst out a fit of giggles, Merlin soon following suit. Morgana could sense that this would be a long day.

The next customer soon arrived and asked for a chocolate "fondle" cake. Merlin looked slightly confused and shot Morgana a questioning look. She was trying to hold back yet more laughter and said, "One fondle coming right up." The man who had asked for his "fondle" moved over to one of the empty tables and Morgana cut a slice of the chocolate fondue cake. Another customer who had walked in behind was barely containing her laughter and was biting down on her knuckle to prevent a snort of laughter from escaping. Merlin was also nearly in hysterics and handed the cake over, "Here, a lovely fondle for you." The oblivious customer thanked Merlin, ate his cake quickly and left. As soon as the door closed Morgana, Merlin and the woman burst into laughter until tears ran down their cheeks. "Well I never thought I would give a stranger a fondle without being bought a few drinks first," Merlin managed to gasp out causing the others to laugh even harder. This definitely would be an interesting job.

All too soon Arthur arrived at the café to find a beaming Merlin playing snap with his sister. He walked in and pulled up a chair next to them and observed the pair as Merlin won the fourth game in a row. He eventually managed to drag his boyfriend away with Morgana still calling for a rematch. They got home and sank into the sofa, Freya hopping into her usual position on Merlin's lap and purring as both Merlin and Arthur discussed their days. At around 6 they began to make dinner, Merlin cooking the same ravioli that Arthur had made when they both first met. Arthur made a Key Lime pie, his speciality and they sat together at the dining room table, looking up into each other's eyes and smiling.

When they had tidied up, both boys clambered into bed next to each other and hugged. Arthur leant forward to turn on the nightlight but Merlin reached out a hand to stop him. "I don't think I need it tonight." Arthur frowned slightly, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I have you, you are all I need. I love you so much Arthur, you really did save me." Arthur smiled and kissed Merlin pressing their naked chests together and saying, "You know what, in a strange way I am really glad that the old bakery caught fire, I mean look at all it has led to. Without the fire, we might not have gotten to know each other, and I would probably still be an inconsiderate, lonely…person." "And I would still be on the streets, on my own without a family." Arthur hugged Merlin tighter and began kissing his lover deeply as they fell in sync, gently making love with each other for the second time. Merlin pulled away and lay on his side looking at Arthur's limp figure. He leant forward so he could feel Arthur's breath on his cheeks and just as he was drifting to sleep he whispered, "Well you know what they say, there's no smoke without fire." With that both men fell asleep, their limbs intertwined, the way they should always be.

So guys, I think that was a good place to stop. I really am out of ideas and hope that it wrapped up ok. Thank you all so much for reading and for the continued support, reviews, favourites and follows. You all have really made me feel great and this story has helped me to block out real life for a while. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Over and out, Audhds xxx


End file.
